Mexicans detained in Sierra Leone for illegally landing a plane

SIERRA LEONE.- Three Mexican citizens and a Spaniard remained detained and they investigate them in Sierra Leone for him unauthorized landing of an airplane at the Freetown International Airport (FNA), the country’s capital, the Sierra Leonean Ministry of Information reported this Monday.

Last Friday, a fourteen-seater aircraft made this landing at the airport while apparently I was flying from Liberia to Mexicothe ministry said in a statement.

“Airport authorities immediately mobilized and began investigations into the aircraft. Four people were found on board, including the captain. Three of those found are of Mexican nationality and the fourth has a Spanish passport,” stated the official note, without providing identities of these individuals.

Since then, the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority (SLCAA), the security forces and the Office of National Security (ONS, intelligence services) took charge of the technical and security investigations.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the plane “did not take off from any recognized airfield in Liberia,” according to the Sierra Leonean government.

Furthermore, the aircraft “I did not have a landing permit and did not contact the FNA air traffic controller before landing.” It was also learned that he was flying with a false registration number and “with parts of the registration plate apparently erased.”

Detainees in Sierra Leone fall into contradictions

According to Sierra Leonean authorities, the crew claimed that they had had a radio failure before landing, but “a technical inspection revealed that the radio was working.”

“The captain of the flight, who stated that he does not speak English, then spoke English and revealed that he was paid $20,000 to make the trip from Liberia to Mexico,” the statement noted.

After an exhaustive search, the Police Nothing suspicious was found on the plane..

The four people found on the plane were reported to be in the hands of the Sierra Leone Police for further investigation. Two air traffic controllers are also among those transferred to the Criminal Investigations Department for further questioning, bringing the total number of people under investigation to six.

Meanwhile, he added, Police and Army personnel are guarding the aircraft, whose keys have been handed over to the National Security Office.

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