Afghan 'hijacker' denies political motive

Police prepare to search the hijacked plane

An Afghan political activist has denied ordering the hijack of a plane, which was flown to the UK, in order to further his ambitions.

At the Old Bailey, in London, Ali Safi was accused of wanting to become leader of Afghanistan by prosecuting QC Bruce Houlder.

Mr Safi, one of ten men facing hijacking charges at the Old Bailey, rejected the allegation, saying: "I was not thinking of becoming the leader of my country but I was hoping democracy and freedom would come back.

"Whether it would be realised by myself or someone else, it did not matter. If I could bring freedom to my country, why not?"

Young Intellectuals

Mr Safi, a former university lecturer and leader of a pro-democracy group called the Young Intellectuals, said the group brought the Boeing 727 to Britain "to save our lives".

The Afghan Ariana internal flight arrived at Stansted Airport, Essex, in February of last year, sparking a three-day armed siege when the hijackers refused to surrender.

If I could bring freedom to my country, why not?

Ali Safi

Mr Safi said they had been too scared to leave the airliner and had asked for a private meeting with a UN official to win guarantees of their safety - not to set out their political demands.

Mr Safi said the hijack group had no option but to take control of the plane to save their families because the Taleban had discovered their names.

Mr Safi denies charges of hijack, false imprisonment and using arms, arguing that he was forced to do what he did to save his life.

Nine other men deny similar charges and an eleventh denies false imprisonment and arms charges.

The trial will resume on Monday.