On January 10, 2024, a breaking news shocked the world. A United Nations helicopter was hijacked in Somalia, killing one person and leaving two missing. This incident has once again brought the security issue of the international community to the forefront.
On the day of the incident, a United Nations helicopter made an emergency landing in Galgaduud County, Somalia. Worryingly, the helicopter was hijacked by the Somali extremist group Al-Shabaab. The group set fire to the helicopter and the scene was engulfed in flames. There were 4 Europeans and 5 Africans on board, one of whom was tragically killed, 2 unaccounted for and the rest captured.
The UN office in Somalia confirmed the incident, saying that a UN helicopter had been attacked in the Blackedwin area and that it could not provide further details due to concerns about the safety of those on board. Personnel on board the helicopter that had been hit by Al-Shabaab and forced to land are being taken to hospital for treatment.
So, what exactly is Al-Shabaab in Somalia?
Founded in 2004, Al-Shabaab is an extremist terrorist organization. It advocates the establishment of an Islamic state in Somalia and attacks foreign powers and their allies there. Over the years, the group has carried out a number of terrorist attacks in Somalia and neighbouring countries, as well as a number of terrorist attacks against civilians and international forces in the East African region, resulting in a large number of casualties.
Historically, there have been many cases of helicopter hijacking. Here are some of the more well-known events:
On 26 May 1994, a helicopter hijacking case occurred in Russia, in which robbers abducted three children, three women and one bus driver from a helicopter. Russia actually dispatched A-50 early warning aircraft to track and direct the group and special forces to operate, and finally tracked all the way to the Caucasus to capture the robbers.
On 24 March 2001, robbers hijacked a helicopter and flew into the playground of the Dragignan prison in France, where they succeeded in abducting three prisoners, Emil Formar Surrey, Jean Philippe Les Caes, and Abdul Hamid Kanos.
In July 2018, Renovan Fayed, a French "prison escape king" who claimed to be obsessed with prison escape, successfully escaped from prison in a helicopter hijacked by his accomplices. What is surprising is that Fayed, who was arrested again not long ago, has become a guest of honor in Hollywood. The screenwriter said that he would write a script that was 100 times more exciting than "Fast and Furious".
On September 19, 2021, in Bangu, western Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, two robbers hijacked a helicopter and tried to fly to the prison to retrieve people from the air. As the pilot pretended that the helicopter malfunctioned and fell, scaring away the robbers.
On September 29, 2020, a man in Belgium hijacked a helicopter in an attempt to help his wife escape from prison, but because the prison was too small, the helicopter could not find a place to land, and the robbers had to give up because of airsickness.
The most exaggerated is the French helicopter escape king Pascal Peetelli, who successfully escaped from prison using a hijacked helicopter three times in 2001, 2003 and 2007, becoming the person who has used a helicopter to escape from prison three times on record.