Documentary Reveals Daring Escape from Diverted Moroccan Flight in Mallorca

The premiere of the documentary "Operacion Brooklyn" took place on Tuesday at the Atlàntida film festival in Palma. Its broadcast on RTVE, the Spanish television channel, is scheduled for September, reports Majorca Daily Bulletin. "Operacion Brooklyn" is inspired by a true story. It was 6:45 pm on November 5, 2021 when an Airbus A320 of Air Arabia Maroc flying from Casablanca to Istanbul landed at Palma de Mallorca airport. One of the passengers had simulated a diabetic coma to divert the plane from the Balearic archipelago airport.

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24 Moroccans, all aged 20 to 23, fled. Among the other fugitives, the majority were arrested in Palma. The other Moroccans were apprehended in the immediate vicinity of the airport. They are all accused of disturbing public order, illegal entry into Spain. Accused of sedition, most of the convicted have spent 14 months in pre-trial detention. In January, they were released following a revision of the Spanish Penal Code that ended this offense and from which they were able to benefit.

According to the Spanish police, the emergency landing was planned via the Moroccan Facebook group Brooklyn. Hence the name "Operacion Brooklyn" that this film bears. "(...) The two points of reflection that emerge from the documentary are first that for thousands of young Moroccans, the main topic of daily conversation in cafes is how to emigrate to Europe. It’s like an obsession, they only talk or dream about it. The second question is what is the influence of social media on these young people," said Adolfo Moreno, one of the screenwriters.

And he added: "The Palma operation was audacious and I suppose that when they saw the plane door open, they (Moroccans) thought they could see the door to their new future."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8rEQsBrh7Y