A Russian national from Dagestan who hijacked a plane to Israel last month is expected to have charges lifted against him because doctors concluded he is a schizophrenic, ITAR-TASS reported Friday.
Akhmed Amirkhanov hijacked a Russian plane with 57 passengers and crew on a scheduled flight from Dagestan to Moscow, diverting the flight to Israel, where the hijacker surrendered to the authorities at a military airport.
Court doctors who have examined 27-year-old Amirkhanov for around a month have determined that he was not responsible for his actions because of his mental illness, the news agency said.
The hijacker, charged with two counts of hijacking and terrorism, will be transferred to a psychiatric hospital if the courts accepts prosecutors' advice, sources at the Dagestani general prosecutors' office told ITAR-TASS.
Amirkhanov did not have a previous criminal record -- MOSCOW (AFP)
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