Turkish Airlines Crew Kidnapped In Lebanon's Capital

[oberliner]

Source: AP via HuffPo

BEIRUT -- Gunmen on Friday ambushed a van carrying a Turkish Airlines crew in the Lebanese capital and kidnapped two of its members, a pilot and a co-pilot, security officials said.

According to the officials, six gunmen ambushed the vehicle on an old airport road in Beirut, snatched the two men, both Turkish nationals, and let the rest continue on.

The van was travelling between the Rafik Hariri International Airport to a hotel in Beirut when the ambush took place early on Friday, said the Lebanese officials, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Although there was no claim of responsibility for the ambush or a demand for ransom, the incident is likely related to the civil war in neighboring Syria, which has deeply divided the Lebanese. Turkey-backed Syrian rebels have been holding nine Lebanese Shiites hostage since last year.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/09/turkish-airlines-crew-kidnapped-lebanon_n_3731020.html?utm_hp_ref=world

[MADem]

1. Why would you need a pilot and a co pilot?

To hijack a plane??

[oberliner]

2. What do you mean?

Am I missing something?

[MADem]

6. I'm speculating.

Say I am a terrorist/freedom fighter/martyr/criminal, and I want to fly from point A to point B for reasons only I understand--maybe I want to move people, or drugs, or money or weapons....name your poison.

Only one small problem, I don't know how to fly.

What's the way to overcome that, short of taking flying lessons? Of course, if I'm a criminal with business to attend to, I might not have time for that sort of thing.

I suppose I could hire someone, but you're getting a pig in a poke, there. The idiot who says "Yeah, I can fly anything, anywhere" turns out to be not instrument rated when ya want to take off at midnight, for example. Or maybe I'm short of cash and can't afford to hire someone.

How to solve the problem? Grab a pilot/co-pilot and force them to do the ferrying for me!

[SoapBox]

3. Yikes!

I'm surprised any airlines still fly in there.

[freshwest]

4. Is Lebanon the Middle Eastern Somalia now? No government but militias?

[jessie04]

5. Funny and not funny.

Why do any airlines still fly in there ?

[Posteritatis]

7. Because it's a city of 2 million, a national capital and an economic hub, perhaps? (nt)