The commander Kilani, reluctant hero of the revolution

Tunis Special Envoy - Proud of its revolution, Tunisia is looking for heroes. Here's one: Mohammed Ben Kilani, 38, captain at Tunisair - the national airline - "the man who refused to board the Airbus family Trabelsi ', as Internet legend reported. But the hero, whose face vaguely recalls that of Sylvester Stallone, is voiceless and eagerly eats olive oil and seals.

At company headquarters, Thursday, Jan. 20, Mr. Kilani is overwhelmed by his adventure, he says piecemeal. This famous 14 January - which will go down in history as the date of the first Arab revolution and that the leak of former President Zine El-Ali AbidineBen - the day started badly: Tunis-programmed for London then a Tunis-Milan, also canceled, the commander Kilani changed at the last moment for Tunis Lyon.

The end of the reign Ben Ali said the hour, causing a big mess. At 13 h 30, with already more than an hour late, the flight UT 750 is ready for takeoff with 103 passengers on board. "At the last moment, I was informed that I had to wait for" last minute "(people last minute)," Kilani said the commander.

Five Trabelsi, he was told. He does not know who should take on, but like any Tunisian, he knows what their name linked to the family of the wife of former president means. Their presence was panic. "I thought: they are criminals, they may have weapons since they do not pass security checks." The fall of Mr.

Ben Ali has not yet announced, but the suddenness of these new passengers he suggests that it is a leak. "To my left, I had an Air France which started shortly after, I wondered why they did not take him." Kilani then imagines the worst: fights with other passengers, who knows, the diversion of aircraft to an unknown destination.

Within seconds, he took his decision to land the passengers, and depart as quickly as possible to avoid taking off. "I gave my orders, I took my bag and I left." But the hero, who grew up in a city neighborhood popular Ariana, Tunis, is human. On the bridge leading down to the runway, he fainted.

And it is at the clinic El Manar, where it passes the examinations, he will learn the flight of Ben Ali, and the arrest of its passengers last minute, so they turned around, with their escort, in a VIP lounge of the airport. No other driver had agreed to take the place of commander Kilani.

Isabelle Mandraud Article published in the edition of 22.01.11

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