Only in Mongolia - State Sponsored Terrorism

Unbelievable but true...

A MIAT flight from Dalanzadgad to UB was apparently held up by 2 passengers who pulled out pistols upon landing at UB airport last week. Some people were tied up but it all ended peacefully, the only casualties being a lady who received cuts on her face and lips and one person who was taken to hospital due to high blood pressure.

Unbeknownst to the passengers or flight crew this was a planned test of counter-terrorism measures with the “hijackers” being members of the Mongolian General Intelligence Agency (GIA). According to the UB Post newspaper the GIA acknowledged they had been asked by the Civil Aviation Authority of Mongolia (CAA) to test security without alerting any other party of the exercise.

You can see the original story on the UB Post’s website here

Can you believe these guys? Is the ignorance, arrogance, naivety or a general combination of all three? This just goes to show how little contact with the outside world Mongolian officials still have. Luckily for the GIA and CAA there was only apparently one foreigner on the plane, a Japanese national. Imagine the scene if there had been a group of American, British, or Israeli tourists on the flight who were familiar with stories of hijacking via the global media. They may have thought it worth taking matters into their own hands. The Americans would at least have attempted to sue the shit out of the CAA for setting up such a stupid stunt and causing mental trauma – and for once I’d be inclined to support the mentally traumatised party.