“No I don’t. Why should innocent people be involved when there is a great deal of danger involved?
“I can assure you that everything will go smoothly providing you concentrate on your job of flying the aircraft.” Replies the agent.” Your reluctance to be involved is understood. There will be nothing left to chance in this operation. You must ensure that you report to the airport in time and fly the aircraft as you would normally. Failure to do so will result in serious consequences for your family. There are witnesses available to come forward and describe a number breaches of your faith. I know these accusations will be untrue but the breaches will be serious enough to ruin your reputation completely and, as there will be accusations of criminal behaviour as well you would be unable to continue your career as a pilot. As a respected man in the community you will understand that the effect on your family and friends would be disastrous. If you cooperate your future is assured and your bravery will be recognized.”
Zaharie stands and looks directly into the agent’s eyes. “You leave me no choice. I will do as you say. But very reluctantly. Please do everything you can to avoid unnecessary disturbance to the passengers and crew.”
He lets the other man out of the shed, glances back at the simulator and locks the door. He notices as he opens his car door that the other car is a rental but is too shocked to take note of the car’s number or details of the man’s appearance. Both cars move off with Zarahie’s mind racing. He will get little sleep that night.
MOSSAD HQ TEL AVIV March 6
Mordechai is hunched over the computer desk once again going over his plans for the next day. For the past few days he has only left the room twice. A camp stretcher is on the floor amidst a tangle of blankets. He has snatched an hour or two of sleep when he can as he knows that that he must be as alert as possible for the next thirty six or so hours. Fortunately he has ready access to an adjoining shower and toilet and can capably work under these conditions for some time yet.
As leader of the group he has accepted full responsibility for carrying out the mission and he is the only person to have access to all the available information. Different sections of Mossad are carrying out the various tasks demanded of them and they have little knowledge of the overall plan. As information continues to flow in through Mossad’s secure channels Mordechai accepts that he alone holds the ability to bring the plan to fruition. With this responsibility he understands that he has the power to not only change the course of world affairs for ever but he also has a moral and ethical commitment to keep loss of life to a minimum. His compulsory military service has hardened him and living in Israel he is constantly reminded that enemies of the state surround them.
The rocket barrages from the Palestinians are a frequent reminder of this. They do little serious damage but strongly reinforce the Israeli’s determination to remain as a sovereign state. There remains the very difficult question. Does the potential to avoid what could possibly escalate into a full scale war with the loss of thousands, or perhaps millions, of lives justify the loss of one or any number of lives? Mordechai knows that he may have to live with the terrible decision for the rest of his life. For now he cannot allow himself to be diverted from the job in hand.
“So far the operation is going smoothly.” He says to himself. “The collection of data from the Defence Minister’s notebook has been a Godsend. The Minister’s personal notes made on the Malaysian event were sufficient to piece together a complete rundown of the whole operation. It will a fairly simple matter for our agents to frustrate the hijacking as we have the distinct advantage of knowing exactly what to expect. Kfir and Chava will be the on board operatives and we don’t expect any trouble with the Captain. The co-pilot ia an unknown quantity but will be given little opportunity to interfere. We can make sure of this as soon as we enter the cockpit.
Mordechai was quiet for a period and the though back to the contents of the Minister’s note book. “That hard drive copy was a truly significant prize. Some of the other information being analysed contains some extremely interesting detail. The notes on upcoming cabinet meetings were revealing and there is also a good deal of information in some of the cabinet meeting details. Other well-hidden files will also be invaluable in dealing with the Iranian government in future. There quite a few photos of significant documents and also an extensive “dirt” file on many well-known Iranians including politicians, business leaders and one or two clerics. It’s believed that this secretly held information may have helped the Minister’s rapid rise to his present position and would also provide him with some protection in the future. OK that’s enough about dirty dealings, back to finishing off details for tomorrow’s flight.
KUAL LUMPUR AIRPORT March 7th
Kfir sits watching the arrival of passengers at the Malaysian Airlines check in counter. Neither overweight or thin, of indeterminate race and casually dressed he is virtually invisible to the passengers hurrying in with trolleys loaded with baggage.
It is not long before he notes the arrival of the two suspected terrorists. They come in separately but stand out amongst the mainly Chines people in the queue. Trying not to look conspicuous they give themselves away by glancing at each other from time to time. Kfir notes their slight frames and considers the options available to him when he moves to disable either one of them.
A pretty young Asian woman arrives and heads directly to the business class check in. Kfir realizes that this is Chava. He is aware that she has some Asian parentage but he is surprised how well she melds in with the Chinese passengers.
As the queue grows shorter Kfir moves into the line. He checks his bag in to go to the cargo hold and retains a small carryon bag. This is only for appearances sake as he will be fully self-sufficient when once on board. There is no problem passing through immigration and there is only a short wait before boarding. He settles down in the departure lounge choosing a seat near the wall so that he can continue to observe the two men.
When boarding he is only two places behind the second man and follows him into the aircraft. Once inside he sees the first man moving to the front rows of the economy seats with the second man heading to the rear. He does not glance at Chava seated in an aisle seat near the galley area and follow his quarry down the aisle. An aisle seat has been booked for him three seats ahead of the rear bulkhead and he is anticipating that the hijacker will be further back. He is correct in this assumption. “Nothing much else to do for the next hour or two’ he thought” I can expect them to make a move shortly before we move into Vietnamese airspace. Can’t rely on that though and will have to stay alert. Fortunately I can rely on Chava to cover the forward area.
ON BOARD MH370 March8
The take-off and flight are initially uneventful as Kfir glances at the in-flight magazine. Dinner is served and the passengers settle down following removal of the used trays by the cabin staff. The food and drink trolleys disappear from the aisles and the lighting is dimmed. “Anytime now.” thinks Kfir.
An hour passes and the majority of people on board are either fast asleep, playing the in-flight entertainment games or watching movies.
Without warning a blast of trumpets explodes from the rear of the cabin. “What the hell.” gasps Kfir. He had been expecting almost anything but this. A quick glance to the rear confirms that the suspected hijacker is standing in the middle of the aisle with an Iphone extended in front of him as the strident tones of the trumpet bounce around the confines of the cabin.
The trumpet sounds cease and are replaced by a loud voice speaking in accented English.
“THIS IS A HIJACK. THERE IS NO DANGER IF YOU STAY IN YOUR SEATS AND REMAIN CALM. AS A PRECAUTION I HAVE EXPLOSIVES ATTACHED TO MY BODY WHICH CAN BE DETONATED AT ANY TIME. I REPEAT THAT THERE IS NO DANGER IF EVERYONE FOLLOWS INSTRUCTIONS.”
The message is repeated in Mandarin.
“Very doubtful if he has any explosives at all but I can’t
take any chances. Time to move. NOW!” Thinks Kfir and immediately rolls from his seat into the aisle. From a crouched position he launches himself upwards and to the rear of the aircraft. Moving faster than a cobra striking he extends his right arm immediately before the palm of his hand strikes the jaw of the hijacker. The power of the strike shatters the man’s jaw and instantly drives the fractured jawbone deep into his brain. The lifeless body is driven backwards and slides along the floor into the galley area. A surprised flight attendant drops a pile of trays with a loud crash. No one else on the plane is aware of the severity of the man’s injuries.
Quickly Kfir recovers the dropped phone and turns it off. He must now take over control of the people at this end of the plane. The passengers he can see appear to be deeply shocked, particularly those who have ben woken from their slumber.
Now it is his turn to address the passengers. “Ladies and Gentlemen. Please do not be alarmed. I am an Air Marshall representing the Malaysian Government. There is no longer a threat from the hijacker with a colleague of mine in control of the forward section of the aircraft. We will be continuing on to Beijing as scheduled. Please follow the instructions of the Captain and the cabin crew.” He repeats the message in Mandarin.
Kfir beckons to the nearby flight attendant. “I will now be moving forward to speak to the Captain. It is important that the passengers stay calm. I can see that your training has prepared you well and that you be relied on to stay on top of the situation. If you experience any problems contact the captain or relay a message forward. It is best that you do not allow anyone into the rear toilets and galley area. The man on the floor is deceased and will not require any attention. Thank you for your assistance.”
Meantime Chava has controlled the situation in the forward area. As the trumpet notes died down she had grabbed a bag of potato chips on her lap and has now ripped the top open. The bag had contained more than the crisps which were enclosed in a foil lining. Intended to keep the crisps fresh the bag provided an excellent barrier to X-rays.
Rising from her aisle seat she has been able to take in the scene through the curtained passageway between the economy and business class areas. Facing towards the rear of the plane was a slightly built man who appeared to be holding a weapon of some sort. Chava could only assume that this was a pistol which he now waved about and spoke to the passengers at that end of the aircraft. He did not appear to consider that there was any danger from the business class passengers behind him.
Years of training for such a situation kicked in and Chava had a choice of weapons available.She quickly chose to use the hypodermic syringe which she now removed from the crisp packet. It was capable of delivering up to four doses of a quick acting knockout drug which would keep the man out of action for three to four hours. The other item would be little too messy and the drugs were definitely the best option. The tiny handgun remaining in the packet could be saved for any future emergencies.
It was now simply a matter of choosing the right moment to move and disable the hijacker. With three quick but silent steps Chava moved through the opening and plunged the syringe into the man’s neck. The same movement also depressed the plunger to the first stop and the man barely had time to start to turn before he slumped to the floor.
The passengers had heard some of the Iphone message from the rear of the plane and Chava was quickly able to stabilize the situation by explaining in English and Mandarin. Claiming to be an Air Marshall clearly had a calming effect and a male passenger helped her lift the unconscious man into her old seat where he was safely strapped in.
Kfir had been making his way forward taking time to calm down any individuals who appeared to be particularly distressed. On reaching the forward area he was pleased to see that Chava had the situation well under control. The next move was to take over control of the pilots who would be unaware of the drama unfolding behind the cockpit bulkhead.
Inside the cockpit the two pilots were following normal procedure with the aircraft on course for Beijing. They were now approaching the outer limit of Malaysian Air Traffic Control and would shortly be signing off with Kuala Lumpur and entering Vietnamese air space. There would be a long boring flight up the coast of Vietnam and the co-pilot decided to take the opportunity to visit the toilet before settling down for the long haul.
After alerting the Captain Fariq unlatched the cabin door and stepped into the area forward of the business class section. He remembered seeing a pretty young Asian lady amongst the passengers and caught a glimpse of her helping a passenger into one of the seats. The man seemed to be in a bad way.
Never shy to make the acquaintance of a beautiful woman Fariq continued down the aisle to see if he could assist. “May I be of assistance madam?”
“Thank goodness you are here.” she replied with a winning smile. “There has been a disturbance on board and the gentleman has fainted. He should be fine in a few minutes. I understand that the man coming down the aisle is an Air Marshall and he will be able to explain the situation to the Captain.” Fariq hesitated momentarily as he was not aware that an Air Marshall was on board. The man before him, however, had the confidence and authority of a man who could take charge. “Come with me.” he said “I’ll just check with Captain Shah.”
“This part is much easier than I expected. Just plain lucky I guess.” Thought Kfir as they moved into the cockpit.
Captain Shah broke off monitoring the instruments in front of him, as the group came in, and sized up the situation quickly. He wasn’t sure how these people had managed to make their way into the supposedly secure area but realized that this was the instant in which his life may change forever. Not sure how to proceed in front of his co-pilot he greeted his visitors and waited for them to speak.
“Captain Shah. There has been an attempt to hijack your aircraft. The situation is under control with the two hijackers neutralized. We are now requesting you to continue with the planned flight to Beijing. Once we have moved out of Malaysian air space I will be in a position to brief you further.”
An intercom buzzer sounds and the Captain responds. He listens for a minute and acknowledges the message he has received. Turning to Kfir he says “That was the chief steward. The cabin crew have the situation under control with the passengers now settling down. The hijacker in the rear galley area is dead and the body is being kept out of sight. The man in the business section appears to be sleeping and the steward has made sure that he is restrained in his seat. I won’t make any announcements while passengers are resting. They seem to be OK”
Kfir sits down in a spare seat at the rear of the cockpit while Chava remains standing. Ten minutes or so pass by quickly and Captain Shah indicates to his co-pilot that he is to sign off with Malaysian Air Control. Keen to impress the younger man contacts air control and receives an acknowledgement. Kfir knows that now is the time to act. He stands up and gives a quick nod to Chava before moving closer to Captain Shah.
Chava immediately moves forward and again uses the hypodermic needle, this time to disable the co-pilot who slumps down in his seat. Shah is startled by this sudden development and angrily jumps to his feet. Kfir is ready for him and blocks his next move. “I’m sorry Captain but we needed to disable your friend. He is quite OK and will sleep for three or four hours. As he is young he may act impulsively placing everyone in danger. We cannot afford for this to happen.”
The two agents drag the co-pilot to the rear seat and make him comfortable. Kfir slips into the vacant pilot’s seat and checks the control panel in front of him.. “Captain Shah. I am going to give you a series of instructions regarding this flight. These instructions are intended to mimic the flight path that we anticipate the hijackers would have followed. Firstly you must disable all the aircraft communication and tracking devices. Please note that I am a qualified pilot and I have been briefed on the 777’s controls. For example the transponder is now off. (He reaches forward and fli
cks a switch to off position.) Please now switch off all radio communication devices and also the ACARS system.” Shah shrugs his shoulders and completes the two operations with a series of simple actions.
“Now I want you to take the aircraft up to forty thousand feet. This manoeuvre is to be completed slowly so that passengers and crew are unaware of the change.” After a few minutes the altimeter shows that they have climbed to the new cruising height. “Now you are to bring the aircraft around in a slow arc towards the West. By this time the Malaysian Air Control will have lost interest in MH370 as they will believe that the aircraft will be under control of the Vietnamese authorities.
Ten minutes later further instructions are necessary. “Now you can bring the aircraft down to normal cruising height of thirty five thousand feet and also head for Penang airport. You will have to calculate your course without outside navigation assistance. Your aircraft will now appear on Malaysian radar screens as a presumed commercial flight heading to Penang. There will, of course, be no way they can identify the aircraft or contact you. This should not present any great problem while you maintain the present course.”
PENANG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Two air traffic controllers are seated at their stations watching traffic movements on the radar screens. Aircraft movements are infrequent at this time of night and the blip moving in from the east attracts attention. There is no aircraft identification shown on the screen, which is not all that unusual, and the plane is maintaining altitude, speed and direction consistent with a commercial airliner. The controller makes a mental note to check on the aircraft position as it nears the Malaysian coast. There are no other aircraft in the vicinity.
ON BOARD MH370
The three people in the cockpit have maintained an uncomfortable silence for some time. Captain Shah speaks up. “If we are to land at Penang we should be thinking now about our approach path. Without any communication with controllers a landing could be hazardous. I am not prepared to take such a risk.”