-Caveat Lector- http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-france- hijacker1207dec07,0,2058291.story?coll=sns%2Dap%2Dnationworl d%2Dheadlines
Plane Hijacker Kills Self in French Jail By Associated Press December 7, 2002, 2:00 PM EST PARIS -- A former Italian policeman accused of hijacking two airplanes, including a flight that landed safely in France last month, hanged himself in his jail cell, prosecutors said Saturday. Stefano Savorani, 29, had a history of mental illness. Guards discovered his body shortly after midnight Friday. Savorani had been held in the central French city of Lyon since the Nov. 27 hijacking attempt, during which he claimed to be a member of the al-Qaida terrorist network and threatened to blow up an Alitalia flight. On the flight from Bologna, Italy to Paris, Savorani brandished a TV remote control he said was connected to a bomb. The plane landed safely in Lyon, and Savorani surrendered after releasing the 57 passengers and seven crew members. No explosives were found on board. A Lyon judge placed Savorani under investigation -- one step short of formal charges -- for "hijacking an aircraft and issuing death threats." Psychiatric experts were to determine if he was fit to stand trial. The Italian news agency ANSA has quoted his mother, Orella Savorani, as saying her son was in treatment for schizophrenia. Because of his mental problems, a court did not press charges against Savorani after his first hijack attempt in 1999. He threatened to blow up an Air France plane flying from Marseille to Paris and forced it to detour to a different Paris airport, where he held a dozen people hostage for three hours. No one was harmed. The court allowed Savorani to return to Italy after the incident on the condition that he undergo psychiatric treatment. French police said Savorani also commandeered an Italian train in 1998 with a toy gun, but no charges were pressed because of his mental illness. The Lyon prosecutor's office said Savorani hanged himself in the Saint-Paul prison's psychiatric unit just days after his cellmate also was found dead. The cause of his cellmate's death was still unclear after an autopsy. Savorani told officials he was asleep when his cellmate's body was found Wednesday night. But he said the two had been putting plastic bags over their head as a "game" earlier in that evening, prosecutors said. Italy's Foreign Ministry instructed the Italian consul general in Lyon to ask French authorities for an explanation -- in particular, about surveillance measures for Savorani, who had been alone since his cellmate's death. Officials opened an inquiry and scheduled an autopsy for Monday, though the prosecutor's office said it had no doubt about the cause of death. Copyright © 2002, The Associated Press -- Outgoing mail is certified virus free Scanned by Norton AntiVirus We are all innocent until proven crazy. ~~ a Pat Oliphant cartoon http://signaturehealthsystems.myarbonne.com <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
