Plane hijacker fooled by quick-thinking airline pilot

[Dorothy_ParkerX]

<p>

A fast-thinking pilot with passengers in cahoots fooled a hijacker by braking hard upon landing, then accelerating to knock the man down. </p>

<p>When he fell, flight attendants threw boiling water in his face and about 10 people pounced on him, Spanish officials said Friday. </p>

<p>The Air Mauritania Boeing 737 carrying 71 passengers and a crew of eight was hijacked by a lone gunman brandishing two pistols…</p>

<p>…Along the way, speaking to the hijacker, the pilot realized the man did not speak French. So he used the plane’s public address system to warn the passengers in French of the ploy he was going to try: brake hard upon landing, then speed up abruptly to catch the hijacker off balance. </p>

<p>The pilot also warned women and children to move to the back of the plane in preparation for the subterfuge, the official said. </p>

<p>It worked. The man was standing in the middle aisle when the pilot carried out his manoeuvre, and he fell to the floor, dropping one of his two pistols. Flight attendants then threw boiling water from a coffee machine in his face and at his chest, and some 10 people jumped on the man and beat him…</p>

<p>Air Mauritania identified the pilot as Ahmedou Mohamed Lemine

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