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Doha – Maltese authorities have deported three Moroccan nationals and are searching for two others following a dramatic escape from a Turkish Airlines flight during an emergency landing at Malta International Airport on New Year’s Day.
Police have identified the remaining fugitives as 26-year-old Fouad el Sellah and 43-year-old Mohamed Lazaar, releasing their passport photos as part of an ongoing manhunt.
The incident occurred when flight TK619, traveling from Istanbul to Marrakech, was diverted to Malta around midday on Wednesday due to a reported medical emergency.
As ground crews prepared to assist a supposedly ill passenger, four Moroccan men opened the rear door of the aircraft and jumped onto the tarmac.
Airport CCTV footage captured the men sprinting across the runway toward a construction area where terminal expansion work was underway.
Despite the presence of Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) personnel stationed near the aircraft’s front stairs, the escapees managed to vault over the airport’s perimeter fence.
Sources indicate the men had gained an 11-second head start before security forces could respond.
Two of the escapees, aged 28 and 34, were subsequently apprehended.
Along with the 28-year-old Moroccan passenger who had claimed illness, they have been returned to their home country and banned from entering Malta and the Schengen area.
According to Malta International Airport officials, the emergency landing followed standard protocols, with security personnel and emergency vehicles responding to the scene.
The escape occurred after a single aircraft door was opened as part of these procedures.
Maltese authorities are urging anyone with information about the two remaining fugitives to contact police headquarters or report to their nearest police station. Anonymous tips are being accepted.
AFM Commander Brigadier Clinton J O’Neill has declined to comment on the security breach, which remains under active investigation.
Local media reports suggest the men may have been part of a larger group of 20 individuals being deported from Turkey to Morocco, though this detail has not been officially confirmed.
Read also: 17 Moroccans Attempt to Escape Flight After Emergency Landing in Italy
