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Daily Mirror
9 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Brit pilot jailed for baby's brutal murder could walk free as wife 'confesses'
London-born pilot Mohamed Barakat, 46, has spent five years behind bars after his one-year-old daughter was murdered - but an alleged 'confession' from his ex-wife could change his fate A British airline captain locked up in a hellhole prison in Kazakhstan for the brutal death of his one-year-old daughter could walk free after an alleged confession from his glam ex-wife. London-born Airbus 330 pilot Mohamed Barakat, 46, was thrown into prison to serve a 20 year sentence in a high security prison after his British daughter Sophia Barakat died. The one-year-old's brains were "crushed" in a drink and drug fuelled frenzy at a five star hotel on 24 October 2019, according to the court case in Kazakhstan, which convicted her father. Kazakh police have now opened an investigation into whether the Brit was wrongly jailed for the tragic death. The country's Prosecutor's Office has triggered an investigation "on newly discovered circumstances", primarily an alleged confession by the pilot's ex-wife Madina Abdullayeva, 28, that she - and not her husband - killed the baby. At the time, staff at the hotel said Madina blamed her husband for Sophia's death, shouting: "He killed my child, he hit her." His indictment at the time claimed Sophia's head was banged against the walls and doors of his five-star hotel suite. He was also accused of beating his wife before allegedly turning on his daughter. Despite this, his then-wife said she would support the pilot during his 2020 trial and said the one-year-old's death was an "accident". Madina was caught on CCTV on the night Sophia died pleading with the staff at the InterContinental Hotel, in Almaty, before she laid the girl's body on the reception counter. Unable to cope, the heartbroken mother sank to the floor, but was helped up by hotel security who had just called an ambulance. The distraught mother then tried to carry Sophia through to a sofa in the hotel lobby but collapsed on the floor again. In a shocking twist, the London-born pilot's legal team and family claim there is mounting evidence of a major miscarriage of justice. His former wife "has been questioned regarding the [new] circumstances of the case, and voice samples have also been obtained from her", revealed Police Lt-Col R Kurbanov. A "forensic video-phonoscopy examination" has been ordered and "other investigative actions are also planned", the prosecutor's office said. The pilot - who has been in detention and jail for five and a half years - turned detective from inside his prison, talking to his then estranged wife (the couple divorced in May 2025) on social media from his cell. Madina was accused of posting "I kill her....," in evidence now being examined by police and the pilot replied to her and said "I know you did." He has always maintained his innocence and previously claimed that his wife accidentally killed their child. The ex-wife allegedly also said in the social media chat, with the jailed pilot, that she wanted another baby with Barakat - who she had met in an Almaty nightclub. In a video made by privately-educated Barakat, from his jail cell, he spoke about her "confession" and said: "Two days ago, we had another argument. I told her I would never have another baby with her until she told me what happened to my daughter, Sophia Barakat. And here you can see, she wrote 'Call me please'. "And then, she writes 'I kill her'. And then''Say thanks that I didn't tell you.'" In later conversations, Madina allegedly asked him to "forgive me" several times. Separately, the wife on a recorded call allegedly said to Barakat that she broke Sophia's neck at the hotel in Almaty. The ex-wife supposedly said: "I left…and then when I come back, she is awake and crying because she's hungry. I start to feed her. And then she start to poo… and I try to wash her bum. And when I wash her, I break her neck…" The pilot received a maximum sentence under the criminal code because of the "aggravating circumstance" of committing the murder "in a state of alcoholic and drug intoxication', said the statement. His lawyer Din-Mukhamed Narymbetov said there were now "grounds for hope" his client will be exonerated based on new evidence and claimed there were also astonishing legal failings in the investigation and trial. One of these claims was that the only evidence of drug use was a toxicology test showing traces of THC in vomit from the hotel mattress, yet the centre has dismissed use of such evidence as unreliable. The lawyer said: "CCTV shows him walking steadily into the hotel, handing balloons to his daughter, and carrying her. Hotel staff said he did not appear drunk." Another alleged violation was that Sophia was British and under the rules three experts should have carried out the baby's autopsy, yet only one did. Barakat said: "Madina knows I am innocent. My family knows I'm innocent. The lawyers who stood with me - they know I'm innocent." When asked to comment on this report, Madina said: "I am not going to answer these questions."
Arab News
22-04-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Bangladesh's largest private airline starts Riyadh flights as demand grows
DHAKA: US-Bangla Airlines, the largest airline in Bangladesh by fleet size, has launched direct flights from Dhaka to Riyadh amid increasing demand for travel to Saudi Arabia. The inaugural flight from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to King Khalid International Airport took off on Monday, with 423 passengers on board. The flights will run five times a week on an Airbus 330 aircraft, with plans to gradually expand to daily service. 'Today, also, we are flying with full occupancy. There is always demand for destinations in the Middle East,' Kamrul Islam, the carrier's general manager for public relations, told Arab News on Tuesday. 'We are receiving very good responses from the passengers ... The route will soon be served by daily flights.' The airline is tapping into the growing market for Middle East travel. Flights to Saudi Arabia have been too few to accommodate the needs of some 3 million Bangladeshi workers in the Kingdom and hundreds of thousands of people traveling for the annual Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. In August last year, it launched daily flights to Jeddah, becoming the first — and so far the only — private Bangladeshi airline to fly to the Kingdom. 'Our aim is to start flight operations gradually in all the destinations where Bangladeshi migrants live,' Islam said. 'In the near future, we are planning to begin flight operations to Dammam and Madinah. Our plan is to begin these flights by the next year. It takes six to seven months of preparations to launch a new station.' Founded in 2010, US-Bangla Airlines started as a domestic carrier and has lately expanded its routes to go international. The Riyadh route marks the airline's 14th international destination and sixth in the Middle East. 'Every destination in the Middle East is a base for Bangladeshi migrants,' Islam said. 'We are currently operating also to other places in the region, like Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, and Doha.' With its latest acquisition of new Airbus A330 and Boeing 737 aircraft last year, the carrier has become the largest airline in Bangladesh by fleet size. With the additions, the US-Bangla fleet now consists of 24 aircraft, while the national flag carrier Biman has 21.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Delta Plane Catches Fire in Orlando As Passengers Flee in Harrowing Video
Earlier this morning, people at Orlando International Airport watched in horror as a Delta Airlines jet caught on fire on the tarmac, leading to passengers evacuating via the emergency slides. A video of the ordeal was quickly posted to X, and as you will see, travelers couldn't believe what they were witnessing after seeing the plane's engine begin to smoke. According to CBS News, the FAA indicated in a statement: "Delta Airlines Flight 1213, bound for Atlanta, was pushing back from the gate for departure at around 11:15 a.m. local time on Monday when an engine caught fire." Delta also reportedly said that the jet was an Airbus 330 and that it was carrying 282 passengers, 10 flight attendants, and two pilots at the time of the incident. Thankfully, a rep for the Orlando International Airport indicated that the fire was contained and is out. No injuries have been reported thus far. This latest airline incident only adds to the uneasiness many people are feeling about air travel after a string of different accidents, including the crash landing of a Delta Airlines regional jet in Toronto in February. Thankfully, while 21 passengers were injured in the Toronto crash, everyone did get out of the plane and was accounted for after the accident. CBS News reported that all of those injured were released from the hospital. Up Next:
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Yahoo
Delta Air Lines Plane Evacuated After Catching Fire At Orlando Airport
A Delta Air Lines plane caught fire and was forced to evacuate shortly after pushing away from the gate at Orlando International Airport Monday morning. CBS News reported that 282 passengers and 12 crew members evacuated, some via the emergency slides, when a fire was observed in the engine of Flight 1213, which was scheduled to take off for Atlanta at around 11 a.m. EDT. No injuries were immediately reported in the moments after the Airbus 330 was evacuated, the report added. (MORE: Summer Travel Tricks To Make Your Trip Easier) Videos of the plane catching fire were shared to social media. "The fire was contained and is out," read a statement released by the airport. Passengers were given food and drinks after they returned to the terminal, WKMG-TV reported. In a separate statement, Delta Air Lines said other planes were being brought in to help the passengers get to their final destination. It's not yet known what caused the fire. Weather was fair at the time of the incident, with temperatures near 79 degrees, clear skies and 20 mph winds, with gusts to 30 mph.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Yahoo
Delta plane catches fire at Orlando airport, passengers evacuate on slides
A Delta passenger jet caught fire on the tarmac at Orlando International Airport Monday and passengers had to evacuate via the emergency slides, the Federal Aviation Authority said Monday. Delta Air Lines Flight 1213, bound for Atlanta, was pushing back from the gate for departure at around 11:15 a.m. local time on Monday when an engine caught fire, the FAA said in a statement. There were no initial reports of injuries. "The fire was contained and is out," a spokesperson for the Orlando airport said, adding that fire crews are on the scene. According to Delta, the plane, an Airbus 330, had 282 passengers, 10 flight attendants and two pilots on board. The airline said crews evacuated the cabin when flames were seen in the tailpipe of one of the plane's two main engines. Passengers have returned to the terminal building and Delta said it will bring in additional aircraft to help get them on their way. "We appreciate our customers' cooperation and apologize for the experience," the airline said in a statement. "Nothing is more important than safety and Delta teams will work to get our customers to their final destinations as soon as possible." The FAA said it will investigate the incident and Delta said maintenance teams will examine the aircraft. The engine fire marks the latest aviation scare involving the airline in recent months. In February, 21 people were injured after a Delta plane flipped upside down while landing amid wintry conditions at Toronto Pearson International Airport. All of the injured passengers were later released from the hospital. In January, several people were injured after a Delta flight aborted its takeoff at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, forcing about 200 passengers to evacuate the plane through emergency slides. Inside the monarch butterfly migration mystery: flying to Mexico from Canada, the U.S. Chocolate Easter eggs: Cracking open a candy tradition Inside the transformation of the Frick Collection
