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CNN Sunday Morning

Swedish Police Have a Day to Charge Suspected Hijacker

Aired September 01, 2002 - 11:07   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Police in Sweden are up against meeting a legal deadline to charge a suspected hijacker. The man was arrested at an airport near Stockholm Thursday, and authorities have until noon local time tomorrow to formally charge him. CNN's Diana Muriel is on the phone from Vasteras, Sweden with the very latest.
Hi there, Diane.

DIANA MURIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Yes, police are scrambling to work on the case through the course of the weekend. They continued to question the man, who's been named by Swedish media as Kerim Chatty, a 29-year-old of Tunisian, British National but of Tunisian origin. He is being held at Vasteras Police Station and we understand from Swedish police sources that he will definitely be charged on Monday before that midday deadline expires.

We understand that he is likely to be charged on two counts -- one of an attempted hijack and the second count of the illegal possession of a firearm. He is unlikely to appear in court on Monday. Instead, sources here are saying he could appear in the courthouse in the town on Tuesday to have the charges read out to him. It's unlikely that he will receive bail during the course of the investigation.

Under Swedish law, the police then have two weeks to work on the investigation. They can go back to the court after that period and apply for further two-week extensions. The Swedish police authorities have denied that the CIA is involved in the investigation and indeed, the U.S. embassy in Stockholm has confirmed the investigation is in the hands of the Swedish authorities.

Media reports also indicated the British MI-5 Counterespionage Service had also sent two agents to Sweden, two officers to Sweden, to assist with the investigation.

Information is emerging that Kerim Chatty had attended a pilot school in the United States, Conway in South Carolina, where he was learning to fly small aircraft, Cessnas and pipers. But it's understood that he did not complete the course there, although Swedish authorities have said that he could have finished his training elsewhere -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Now, Diana, police indicated that they found the gun in his carry-on bag. That explains the firearm possession charge. But as it pertains to the attempted hijack charge, did they also come across a plan or perhaps a confession from Chatty that says or explains what his intent might have been?

MURIEL: Well, the defense attorney that has been appointed to represent Kerim Chatty, Nils Uggla, has said that his client has given him an explanation as to why he had a pistol in his hand luggage, believed to be contained in a bag of toiletries and that explanation he has passed on to the Swedish police. He says he's forbidden from telling the media of that explanation at this stage. We hope to have more details of that tomorrow.

The Swedish authorities have denied that they are looking for four other men in connection with this attempted hijack. They say they are looking at possible terrorist linking between Chatty and others. And we understand from the Swedish police sources that attempted hijackings could be one of the charges listed tomorrow -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Diana Muriel, thank you very much.

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