Updated 5pm with more testimonies
The captain of the hijacked Libyan aircraft diverted to Malta two days before Christmas told a court today the hijackers only seemed interested in getting out of Libya.
The pilot also said it was he who suggested that the aircraft should fly to Malta since it did not have enough fuel to go to Rome.
More details of the case were given in court today during the compilation of evidence against hijackers Moussa Shaha Ali Sako and Ali Ahmed Lano Saleh.
One of the air hostesses testified that she had chatted and joked with one of the hijackers in an effort to keep him calm, and found he was "rather stupid". At one point during the drama he even suggested taking a selfie picture.
The two men hijacked the domestic flight using a replica hand grenade and pistols, reportedly claiming they wanted publicity for a new political party. After a four-hour stand-off at Malta airport they released the 116 passengers and crew before giving themselves up.
The captain recounted how mid way through the flight from Sebha to Tripoli a member of the crew handed him a note from one of the hijackers ordering a diversion to Rome.
At one point during the drama he even suggested taking a selfie picture
He sent the co-pilot to the passenger cabin to verify the demand. When he returned, the co-pilot said the hijackers were threatening to blow up the plane unless they were taken to Rome.
The co-pilot suggested flying on to Tripoli but the captain objected to the plan fearing the hijackers might realise what was happening and carry out their threat.
"We tried to agree on a plan of action. We did not know if there were more than two hijackers. We eventually decided to fly to Malta because we did not have fuel to go to Rome. We told the hijackers and they accepted."
The captain said the crew collectively decided not to inform the passengers about the threat not to create alarm.
After arriving in Malta, he sent his co-pilot to the cabin to negotiate with the authorities and the hijackers. Eventually, the hijackers agreed to release the passengers in batches.
The hijackers did not seem to be dangerous people and did not appear to be terrorists associated with so-called Islamic State, the captain said.
He said that later he personally spoke to the hijackers and their only intention, he said, was to get out of Libya.
One of them carried a grenade and he asked him how he had managed to get it on board. "I have friends," he replied.
Moussa Shaha Ali Sako also spoke of his intention to set up a political party.
The captain said the cockpit door remained closed throughout the flight. He said that after landing in Malta he received calls on his mobile phone from family and friends. He also spoke to journalists to deny rumours that the hijackers were Isis supporters.
Replying to further questions, the captain said that when the co-pilot tried to convince the hijackers it would be better to land somewhere in Libya, they refused and Moussa appeared to threaten to blow up the bomb.
CABIN CREW KEPT CALM THROUGHOUT ORDEAL
The court also heard evidence from an air hostess and the purser in charge of the cabin crew.
The hostess said that about 20 minutes into the flight from Sebha to Tripoli one of the air hostess said she saw one of the accused, Moussa Shaha Ali Sako, going the towards front of the aircraft. She asked him if he needed any help and he insisted he wanted to speak to the pilot.
He then told her that he had something to give him, and handed her a note saying the plane was being hijacked.
“He lifted his jacked and showed me a weapon,” she said.
The note read: "Do not land the flight in Tripoli but take it to Rome. If you refuse, I have a bomb."
The air hostess said she tried to act as normally as possible so as not to alarm the passengers.
“I walked up to a colleague and asked him to accompany me to the cockpit. Halfway to the cockpit I looked round. The hijacker was talking to another passenger wearing a woolen cap who appeared to be his accomplice. I continued on my way to the cockpit.
“There was a wire attached to the hijacker visible under the jacket. I spoke to him calmly so as not to raise any alarm,” she said.
There was a wire attached to the hijacker visible under the jacket.
She handed the note to the pilot and returned to her place at the front of the passenger cabin.
Asked about procedures normally followed when there was a hijack, the hostess said the importance was to maintain calm.
“In this particular case, we tried to calm down the hijackers and not alarm the passengers,” pointing out she was not involved in any negotiations with the hijackers.
The hostess said that while she feared something would happen in flight, she did not tell the passengers anything about the hijack but just informed them that the plane was landing in Malta.
Next to testify was the head of the cabin crew, who said that midway through the flight an air hostess told him that a passenger wanted to speak to him. She handed him the note that had been given to her and told him to inform the captain.
“We informed the passengers we were not going to Tripoli because of bad weather. Only later did we tell them that we were landing in Malta.”
He told the staff to calm down the hijackers so as to avoid any harm to the passengers.
Hijacker said he just wanted to get out of Libya
After landing, the hijackers were asked what they wanted and they said they wanted to form a political party. Later, Moussa said he just wanted to get out of Libya.
He said that as the passengers were released, he asked the hijackers to hand over their weapons. The hijackers, he said, appeared to be calm and reasonable persons.
The hijackers asked him to leave the plane carrying the old Libyan green flag, which he did.
Asked whether the passengers were checked before boarding, the official said the hijackers had also passed through security screening.
The passengers were only told of the hijack after the plane landed in Malta, as they began to ask questions about the people surrounding the plane.
Some commotion arose when the passengers were informed that the plane was hijacked, the court was told.
HOSTESS JOKED WITH HIJACKER
Another hostess in her testimony said she tried to communicate with the hijackers to keep them calm. This, she said, was part of their training.
"I joked with Moussa, I told him, do you want me to die and leave the aircraft's galley in a dirty state?"
He gradually opened up and she realized that he was 'rather stupid' and was not even familiar with the layout of the plane.
He told her that he was worried by the situation in Libya and wanted to get out of the country. He also wanted to set up a political party.
At one time he asked her if she had a Facebook account and he suggested they take a selife. She eventually took a picture with both hijackers after landing in Malta.
The hostess said she spoke mostly to Moussa, who told her that he was upset by the political situation in Libya. She said that she agreed with him, to win his trust. She also told him she was married and had children, which was not true.
The hostess said she had been worried because Ali was quiet and was carrying a small bag which, she feared, might contain some explosive. She felt that Moussa was not a dangerous person but rather a simpleton.