A supporter of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi who participated in the hijacking of an aircraft to Malta in 2016 has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Maltese court after he pleaded guilty.
Ali Ahmed Lano Saleh was one of the two individuals who hijacked an Afriqiyah Airlines Airbus A320 to Malta on December 23, 2016.
The aircraft, which had been on a domestic flight within Libya, was diverted to Rome by the two hijackers. However, they ultimately landed in Malta due to a shortage of fuel.
The plane, initially on a domestic flight within Libya, was redirected to Rome by the two hijackers but ultimately had to make an emergency landing in Malta because of a fuel shortage.
Soko Moussa Shaha Ali, the mastermind behind the hijacking, received a 25-year prison sentence in 2020.
When pronouncing Saleh’s sentence, the court considered several factors, including his guilty plea, the swift and safe release of passengers, and his non-mastermind role in the hijacking.