LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese authorities have identified the two Moroccan men who are still on the run after they escaped from a parked Turkish Airlines aircraft on New Year’s Day. They are Fouad el Sellah, 26, and Mohamed Lazaar, 43, who were part of a group of five Moroccan passengers who boarded the Marrakesh-bound aircraft flight from Istanbul and staged a fake medical emergency, leading the pilot to make an emergency landing in Malta. The search for el Sellah and Lazaar, has so far failed to give positive results. Police released their photos on Thursday afternoon, calling on the public to help in locating the two men. As arrangements to disembark the purportedly sick Moroccan passenger were underway, the other four Moroccans opened the aircraft’s rear door, jumped onto the apron and climbed over the airport’s perimeter fence. Two of them were captured hours later and returned to Morocco together with the person who had complained about the malaise in the first place.
The Sunday Times of Malta reported that migration experts are warning that similar attempts to enter Schengen countries through are likely to become more common.
The voyage between Turkey and Morocco has become particularly attractive to people hoping to sneak into Europe since there are no visa requirements between the two countries.
The newspaper quoted Salaheddine Lemaizi, editor of Enass.ma, an independent media organisation in Morocco, saying these incidents represent a “spectacular and dramatic” migration route into Schengen territory that has taken off in recent years, often spurred by conversations across social media.
Some TikTokers have taken to acting as de facto travel agents, suggesting possible air travel routes and warning against others. The trip between Turkey and Morocco remains a favourite, as passengers used to travel to Turkey and cross into Europe posing as Syrians.
Meanwhile, other airlines and airports are also being forced to face similar escape attempts.
In 2021, a flight between Morocco and Turkey was diverted to Mallorca, with a man on board appearing to be suffering from a diabetic attack. As the man, who later turned out to be in perfect health, was being escorted into an ambulance, a group of over 20 passengers pushed their way off the plane, some of them managing to jump over the airport’s perimeter fence. While airport police managed to capture 12 of the runaways, a dozen others evaded capture, with some believed to have later boarded a ferry towards Barcelona.
Barcelona also found itself in the centre of a similar case a year later when another flight travelling from Morocco to Turkey was diverted to the Spanish city after a woman on board claimed to be going into labour. As medical officials entered the aircraft, 28 passengers jumped off the plane on to the apron. While police managed to detain half of them, several others remained at large.
foto: ufficio stampa Polizia di Malta
(ITALPRESS).
