logo
Pilot who removed Jewish children from flight trained two 9/11 hijackers

Pilot who removed Jewish children from flight trained two 9/11 hijackers

Yahoo27-07-2025
The pilot who ordered the removal of 47 French Jewish children from a plane before take-off gave flying lessons to two of the September 11 terrorists, it has emerged.
Iván Chirivella was named by the Spanish airline Vueling as having been in charge of the flight from Valencia to Paris Orly on Wednesday.
As the captain, he had taken the decision to call the Guardia Civil police force and expel the group of mostly teenagers for 'disruptive behaviour' and a 'confrontational attitude' towards the cabin crew.
In a statement, Vueling said a group of children aged between 10 and 17 were returning home from a summer camp when they began meddling with the plane's safety equipment, which included trying to 'take out life vests, manipulate ceiling compartment oxygen masks and remove the high-pressure oxygen cylinder'.
The airline and the Guardia Civil denied that the decision to remove the children and their monitors had any connection to the reported singing of songs in Hebrew, as a parent of one of the children claimed.
Credit: @AmichaiChikli/X
According to an expanded statement issued by Vueling on Friday, Mr Chirivella, who was born in the Canary Islands in 1976, has flown for the airline since 2006.
Previously, he worked as a flight instructor, including a spell at the Jones Aviation academy in Florida, where he taught the 9/11 terrorists Mohamed Atta and Marwan Al Shehhi.
Atta flew a hijacked plane into the North Tower of New York's World Trade Center, with Al Shehhi directing the jet he was piloting into the South Tower 17 minutes later, causing the deaths of 2,753 people.
In a 2003 book entitled Innocent Accomplice, Mr Chirivella wrote about having been one of the September 11 terrorists' flight instructors, adding that there was no way of knowing what the al-Qaeda operatives' intentions were.
He remembered Atta and Al Shehhi as 'normal lads', despite their expressing 'sexist' attitudes. However, they 'never said anything bad about the US'.
He said that the two were expelled from the academy for their behaviour towards women who worked there and the attempt by one of the two men to falsify the signature of his accomplice on a training roster.
Mr Chirivella was investigated by the FBI over his connection to the two 9/11 pilots, saying during an interview with the newspaper El Mundo while promoting his book that the bureau had treated him and many other people 'unfairly'.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Solve the daily Crossword
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

British tourists warned over €200,000 fines over little known rule in Spain
British tourists warned over €200,000 fines over little known rule in Spain

Yahoo

time10 hours ago

  • Yahoo

British tourists warned over €200,000 fines over little known rule in Spain

Just last month, Spanish police confirmed that a tourist broke a rule during the Virgen del Carmen festival in Puerto de la Cruz. It could have proved very, very costly. Thousands of spectators were present when the incident occurred during the well-attended maritime procession. During the event, police officers present spotted an unauthorised drone in flight, according to Canarian Weekly. Only three drones had permission to fly at the festival: two operated by the National Police for security surveillance and one for official event coverage. The tourist was swiftly located at Hotel Las Águilas, situated in the upper part of the town. The tourist confessed to lacking a pilot licence, insurance, and familiarity with Spanish drone regulations. The drone was seized, and the case was handed over to Spain's State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) for administrative proceedings. Under Spanish and EU legislation, all drone flights in urban areas or over large crowds necessitate prior authorisation, and pilots must be registered, insured, and trained. Recommended reading: The little-known Ryanair departure gate rule that bans travellers from flying 4 little-known petrol station fuel rules that all UK drivers need to be aware of Phillip Schofield drama 'helped' Fiona Phillips' husband with Alzheimer's battle Spanish authorities are cautioning tourists that Spain's drone laws are stringent and breaches are dealt with severely. Depending on the gravity of the offence, drone fines can vary from: €60 to €45,000 for minor infractions (e.g., flying without insurance) €45,001 to €90,000 for serious offences (e.g., flying in restricted areas) €90,001 to €225,000 for very serious breaches (e.g., endangering people or interfering with airspace) Spanish authorities are reminding visitors that drones are not playthings and operating one without complying with legal requirements can lead to severe legal and safety repercussions, especially during public gatherings.

La Liga will not accept Barcelona medical report for Marc-Andre ter Stegen without signature
La Liga will not accept Barcelona medical report for Marc-Andre ter Stegen without signature

Yahoo

time15 hours ago

  • Yahoo

La Liga will not accept Barcelona medical report for Marc-Andre ter Stegen without signature

Barcelona will not be able to find a way around Marc-Andre ter Stegen's red light in their attempts to activate the injury rule in order to facilitate registrations. The German goalkeeper has no intention of signing off on his medical information being shared with La Liga. The significance of which is that it may prevent Barcelona registering new goalkeeper Joan Garcia, and certainly makes his presence on the opening day of La Liga much less likely. After ter Stegen underwent surgery on his back last week, Barcelona had planned to activate La Liga's injury rule, allowing them to use 50-80% of ter Stegen's salary to register a replacement for an absence of four months or more. La Liga will not accept Barcelona legal loopholes The Blaugrana have briefed local media that they believe they have legal grounds to be able to submit ter Stegen's medical report, which La Liga must examine to activate the injury rule, without his consent. The information is in theory protected by the data protection act. Yet they have not detailed what those grounds are, and Cadena SER report that La Liga have no intention of entertaining the idea. Image via Getty Images Unless ter Stegen gives his consent and signs his consent, La Liga will not examine the report, and thus will not grant Barcelona extra salary limit space. Barcelona-ter Stegen summit off the cards On their return from South Korea, Barcelona had been scheduled to meet with ter Stegen to discuss the matter, after opening a disciplinary process, to discuss the issue. However Diario AS now say that this is off the cards. The Catalan giants are furious with ter Stegen, feeling he is acting in bad faith, and harming the club. Blaugrana operating on the edge with ter Stegen Barcelona are also looking into what sanctions they can hit ter Stegen with following his refusal, the first in the history of La Liga, with reports of a potential fine. However lawyer Cristian Zarroca has also warned that Barcelona must be careful. If a court were to deem a sanction as coercion or reprisals, then Barcelona could face legal action from ter Stegen for institutional bullying.

Spirit Airlines Pilot Is Charged With Stalking Two Children
Spirit Airlines Pilot Is Charged With Stalking Two Children

New York Times

timea day ago

  • New York Times

Spirit Airlines Pilot Is Charged With Stalking Two Children

A Spirit Airlines pilot was removed from duty after being arrested last month at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on criminal charges that he had stalked two children, according to a statement from the airline and court documents. The pilot, Dominic Armando Cipolla, 40, of Kansas City, Mo., is charged with two counts of stalking the children with 'reckless conduct causing fear' last August, according to a complaint filed in Johnson County District Court in Olathe, Kan. One of the children was under the age of 14, making one of the charges a felony. Mr. Cipolla, who lives in Kansas City, Mo., was released this week on $12,500 bail. Spirit Airlines said in a statement that it was aware of the circumstances under which Mr. Cipolla was arrested but that the matter was not related to his work. 'The pilot was removed from duty pending our investigation into the matter, and we arranged for another pilot to operate the flight,' the statement said, referring to the flight Mr. Cipolla was apparently pulled from upon his arrest. Spirit Airlines did not say what the status of its investigation regarding Mr. Cipolla was. Under the terms of his release, he is not allowed to leave the state of Kansas without the approval of the Johnson County District Court. He is also not allowed to make contact with children. Mr. Cipolla has been a first officer with Spirit Airlines since 2022, according to a LinkedIn account under his name that has been taken down since his arrest. The charges against Mr. Cipolla were brought by the Johnson County District Attorney's Office, which declined to comment further. It is unclear whether Mr. Cipolla has a lawyer, and efforts to reach him by phone on Tuesday were unsuccessful. In a recent unrelated case, a Delta Air Lines pilot facing felony counts of child abuse was arrested in the cockpit of a plane that had just landed.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store