Kerim Chatty
Encyclopedia
Kerim Chatty is a Swedish
man who was suspected of attempted hijacking
of an aircraft in 2002. He was subsequently released from police custody and the preliminary inquiry regarding attempted hijacking was dropped.
Chatty was born in Botkyrka south of Stockholm
, to a Tunisia
n physiotherapist father and a Swedish mother. He had his first encounter with the police in 1991 when he was convicted of illegal driving. He was later convicted for several crimes such as assault
, theft
, handling
and drunk driving
.
He was also devoted to martial arts
and Muay Thai
, winning a gold medal at a Swedish martial arts championship in 1994.
In September 1996 he was accepted into the North American Institute of Aviation
in Conway, South Carolina
, where he undertook some flight training courses, but was expelled from the school a few months later for "lack of progress" in the program. Chatty returned to Sweden in 1997 and starred the same year in the Swedish film 9 millimeter
alongside several noted Swedish actors. While serving a sentence for firearms possession at the Österåker Prison
in 1998, he shared cell with Oussama Kassir
, a militant Islamist charged with terrorism who has said that he "loves al-Qaeda
and Osama bin Laden
". Kassir said he became close friends with Chatty and was instrumental in his conversion to Islam
. According to BBC News
he was "believed to have become" a devotee of the Salafi school of Islam. According to BBC, friends and relatives have stated that at the time of the September 11, 2001, attacks he was attending a religious school in Saudi Arabia
.
Chatty himself has stated that he doesn't support terrorism
and that the September 11, 2001, attacks were a "sin". His friends called the allegations "ridiculous" and dismissed claims that Kassir had made him convert to Islam.
Chatty was arrested at the Stockholm-Västerås Airport
on August 29, 2002, as he was trying to board a Ryanair
Flight 685 headed to the London Stansted Airport
, with a loaded pistol in his hand luggage, contained in a bag of toiletries. He was charged with attempted hijacking, but claimed he was only on his way with a group of others to an Islamic conference in Birmingham
. An organiser of the conference in Birmingham said however that it was "highly unlikely" that the suspected hijacker was due to attend the conference. A military intelligence source cited by Reuters
said that "We know for sure that the plan was to crash the plane into a US embassy in Europe." The Swedish Security Service
denied the claims and called the reports "false information".
Chatty denied the charges of attempted hijacking and said that he had simply "forgotten" that he had a pistol in the bag.
In the absence of evidence Chatty was released from custody on September 30, and on October 30 the preliminary investigation regarding attempted hijacking was closed. He was however charged with firearms offences and on December 20 sentenced to four months in prison.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
man who was suspected of attempted hijacking
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
of an aircraft in 2002. He was subsequently released from police custody and the preliminary inquiry regarding attempted hijacking was dropped.
Chatty was born in Botkyrka south of Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, to a Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
n physiotherapist father and a Swedish mother. He had his first encounter with the police in 1991 when he was convicted of illegal driving. He was later convicted for several crimes such as assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
, theft
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
, handling
Handling
Handling stolen goods is the name of a statutory offence in England and Wales and Northern Ireland. It takes place after a theft or other dishonest acquisition is completed and may be committed by a fence or other person who helps the thief to realise the value of the stolen goods...
and drunk driving
Driving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
.
He was also devoted to martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
and Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
, winning a gold medal at a Swedish martial arts championship in 1994.
In September 1996 he was accepted into the North American Institute of Aviation
North American Institute of Aviation
The North American Institute of Aviation was a private, FAA Part-141 flight school located in Conway, South Carolina, in the United States. Founded in 1972 in Hammonton, New Jersey, then later moved to South Carolina in 1978, NAIA specialized in flight and aircraft maintenance training. It has...
in Conway, South Carolina
Conway, South Carolina
Conway is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 16,317 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Horry County and is part of the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area. It is the home of Coastal Carolina University....
, where he undertook some flight training courses, but was expelled from the school a few months later for "lack of progress" in the program. Chatty returned to Sweden in 1997 and starred the same year in the Swedish film 9 millimeter
9 millimeter
9 millimeter is a Swedish crime/drama film premiered in 1997.- Plot :The film is about Malik , a young man with immigrant roots living in a Stockholm suburb, who is living in a world of crime and violence...
alongside several noted Swedish actors. While serving a sentence for firearms possession at the Österåker Prison
Österåker Prison
The Österåker Prison is a prison located in Österåker Municipality, thirty kilometers north of Stockholm, Sweden. It is a Class C-security prison with a capacity for 146 inmates. The facility also contains a remand prison with the capacity for 80 inmates....
in 1998, he shared cell with Oussama Kassir
Oussama Kassir
Oussama Abdallah Kassir is a Lebanese-born Swedish militant Islamist.- Early life :Kassir was born in Beirut, Lebanon. He came to Sweden in 1984 and was granted Swedish citizenship in 1989. He participated in the Lebanese Civil War during the 1980s and was hurt in battle...
, a militant Islamist charged with terrorism who has said that he "loves al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
and Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
". Kassir said he became close friends with Chatty and was instrumental in his conversion to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. According to BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
he was "believed to have become" a devotee of the Salafi school of Islam. According to BBC, friends and relatives have stated that at the time of the September 11, 2001, attacks he was attending a religious school in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
.
Chatty himself has stated that he doesn't support terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
and that the September 11, 2001, attacks were a "sin". His friends called the allegations "ridiculous" and dismissed claims that Kassir had made him convert to Islam.
Chatty was arrested at the Stockholm-Västerås Airport
Stockholm-Västerås Airport
Stockholm-Västerås Airport, also known as Västerås Airport or Hässlö Flygplats is located at the city Västerås, and about west of Stockholm, Sweden...
on August 29, 2002, as he was trying to board a Ryanair
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....
Flight 685 headed to the London Stansted Airport
London Stansted Airport
-Cargo:-Statistics:-Infrastructure:-Terminal and satellite buildings:Stansted is the newest passenger airport of all the main London airports. The terminal is an oblong glass building, and is separated in to three areas: Check-in concourse, arrivals and departures...
, with a loaded pistol in his hand luggage, contained in a bag of toiletries. He was charged with attempted hijacking, but claimed he was only on his way with a group of others to an Islamic conference in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. An organiser of the conference in Birmingham said however that it was "highly unlikely" that the suspected hijacker was due to attend the conference. A military intelligence source cited by Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
said that "We know for sure that the plan was to crash the plane into a US embassy in Europe." The Swedish Security Service
Swedish Security Service
The Swedish Security Service , former name Rikspolisstyrelsens säkerhetsavdelning , is the security service of Sweden, belonging to the Swedish National Police Board....
denied the claims and called the reports "false information".
Chatty denied the charges of attempted hijacking and said that he had simply "forgotten" that he had a pistol in the bag.
In the absence of evidence Chatty was released from custody on September 30, and on October 30 the preliminary investigation regarding attempted hijacking was closed. He was however charged with firearms offences and on December 20 sentenced to four months in prison.
External links
- Article collection at Dagens NyheterDagens Nyheteris a daily newspaper in Sweden. It has the largest circulation of Swedish morning newspapers, followed by Göteborgs-Posten and Svenska Dagbladet, and is the only morning newspaper that is distributed to subscribers across the whole country. In 2009 DN had a circulation of 316,000, reaching 881...