NAIROBI - A Kenyan man who nearly crashed a British Airways jumbo jet in December will not be prosecuted because he is suffering from a delusional disorder, says Kenya's Attorney-General.
Paul Mukonyi, a 27-year-old student, forced his way into the cockpit of the packed Nairobi-bound airliner, sending it plunging towardsthe ground before the crew regained control with seconds to spare.
A psychiatric report found that Mukonyi believed he was being pursued by Arab men who wanted to kill him.
He ran into the cockpit to escape them.
"At no time did he intend to kill himself or any other person but was paranoid that the Arabs were closing in on him and his life was in danger," Attorney-General Amos Wako said yesterday.
Mukonyi had been studying in France.
He had already made numerous complaints to British and French authorities, claiming that he was being followed by unknown people.
Passengers said the Kenyan was hysterical when he burst into the cockpit of the Boeing 747-400, which was carrying 398 people.
The aircraft reeled and dived before Mukonyi could be wrestled to the floor.
Among the passengers were Jemima Khan, the wife of Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, and British pop singer Bryan Ferry.
Wako said psychiatrists had warned that a trial might caused Mukonyi permanent psychological harm.
It had therefore been decided not to prosecute him for the "serious offences he committed."
