KARACHI: Three young men, said to be Eritreans but holding Ethiopian passports, attacked an Ethiopian Boeing 707 with bren-guns, hand-grenades and time-bombs at the Karachi airport last evening [June 18].

They surrendered without any resistance to three PIA loaders who challenged them unarmed in a jeep. They were later handed over to the police. Police have booked the young men for arson, attempted murder and possession of unlicensed arms, etc. ... The three accused came to Karachi on June 16 from Beirut and were staying in a city hotel. The plane had arrived here from Addis Ababa and was bound for New Delhi after a short refuelling-stop.

The Eritreans who are fighting for the liberation of their territory with the Ethiopians for a long time, it was stated, had once made an attempt to destroy a plane in Jibouti in East Africa. Experts believed that this incident seemed to be the off-shoot of that campaign. However, the three accused are being subjected to extensive interrogation. Later these attackers told the police that their action was directed solely against the plane and was motivated by the freedom struggle going on in Eritrea to free that territory from Christian Ethiopia.

Published in Dawn, June 19th, 2019