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Fez – Police in the Spanish city of Palma de Mallorca confirmed on November 8 that last week’s emergency landing at the city’s airport was planned in a Facebook group almost five months ago.
Members of a Moroccan Facebook group named “Brooklyn” conceived the “great escape” plan on July 17.
A now unearthed post in the Facebook group provided a detailed description of the various stages of what Spanish authorities have described as an unprecedented illegal immigration operation.
In the post, one member suggested that while on board a plane en route to Turkey – which does not require visas from Moroccans – a passenger should volunteer to fake a diabetic coma once the plane is about to reach Spain.
The writer of the post asked the other members to support the fake patient and force the plane to land in Spain, arguing that this would cause the scene of confusion needed for other passengers to leave the plane and flee the airport.
All went as planned as the Air Arabia flight carrying 24 passengers approached Palma de Mallorca on Friday, November 5. But the Spanish police later arrested, on November 7, 12 of the 24 passengers who fled the Air Arabia flight that landed in Palma de Mallorca airport on emergency.
The flight took off from Casablanca on Friday and stopped in Spain on its way to Istanbul. A 34-year-old Moroccan passenger faked a diabetic coma, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing.
The man was taken to the hospital, exactly as planned in the Facebook post. But medical staff confirmed he was fine and released him. He was later arrested on charges of helping an irregular migration attempt and violating the Spanish migration law.
Investigations are still ongoing to arrest the remaining 12 passengers who fled the airport. Except for one individual who is suspected to be a Palestinian national, the arrested passengers are Moroccan.
The group was scheduled to appear in court today, where the public prosecutor’s office is expected to order their extradition to Morocco.
