King Mohammed grants distinction to pilot of hijacked plane

King Mohammed VI received on Friday Tarik Bennani, the pilot of a Royal Air Maroc (RAM) plane which was hijacked on Wednesday night to the Spanish city of Barcelona.

The king decorated the pilot with "Ouissam Al-Arch" with the commander order in recognition for the self-control he showed during the incident.

All the passengers and crew of the Boeing 737, which was on a scheduled flight from Casablanca to Tunis, were released safely.

The hijacker, a 45-year-old Moroccan farmer, described as mentally unstable, surrendered to the Spanish police. His only demand was a refuelling of the plane to go to Germany.