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Row over remark on hijacked planes

Germany’s politicians are locked in a heated debate after the Defence Minister signalled his readiness to shoot down hijacked planes at the risk of killing innocent civilians in order to avert a wider disaster. The comments of Josef Jung of the Christian Democrats have unleashed a passionate debate across the parties and led to calls for his resignation on Wednesday in an emotional session in the Bundestag, the German Parliament.

“In cases of common danger or danger to free and democratic basic order” it would be possible to shoot down a plane, Mr. Jung has said.

Mr. Jung’s ideas have also prompted some in the military to issue a direct threat to revolt were they asked to shoot down hijacked planes. Bernhard Gertz, of the association of the armed forces, said: “Anyone who shot down a plane would immediately find himself in the dock ... accused of manslaughter.” He has called on fighter pilots to refuse to carry out such an order. Mr. Jung has responded by saying that pilots would be picked who showed “100 per cent willingness” to carry out the task.

Germany has been debating the issue since the September 11, 2001, attacks. While other countries have formed concrete strategies — in France fighter pilots are able to intervene at short notice without government approval once they have been given an order while in Britain, the Prime Minister has to give his backing to any order to shoot — Germany has yet to come up with a plan. — ©Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2007

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