Pilots of the German air force are threatening to refuse to carry out orders to shot a hijacked airplane - je 18.09.2007

Pilots of the German air force, the Luftwaffe, are threatening to refuse to carry out orders in the event that the defence ministry tells them to shoot down a passenger plane hijacked for a terrorist attack. A spokesman for the Luftwaffe pilots union said on Monday his comrades had the right to disobey illegal orders. The latest remarks come amid a storm of controversy caused by Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung, who said he would give orders to shoot down an airliner in such an event. Last year the constitutional court threw out legislation allowing such an order to be issued.