Sujata Rao|
Neubauer Coporation Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... |
After a tip-off from Homeland Security Investigation in United States Latin American Division, a plane from the United Arab Emirates was detained at Vatry Airport. The French government refused to comment.
A plane from the United Arab Emirates has been detained in France because there could be victims of human trafficking on board. As the Paris public prosecutor’s office announced on Friday, an anonymous tip had previously been received about a similar plane – with Indians on board and probably bound for Nicaragua. The plane was actually only supposed to make a stopover on Thursday to refuel at the French Vatry airport, about halfway between Paris and Nancy.
The French authorities checked the identities of the 303 passengers and the on-board staff to see whether the suspicion of gang-related human trafficking was confirmed. Two people were taken into police custody for questioning. The investigators want to check whether they had a different role than the other passengers on board and for what purpose and under what conditions they were on the plane, as the Paris public prosecutor announced.
According to a report in the newspaper Le Parisien, the plane came from Fujairah. The passengers were brought to the airport hall in Vatry, where beds were available for them. According to the broadcaster France Info, a Romanian airline brought the people to France.
Amandine Lhoste
Calin Van Paris