Vueling pilot who ordered Jewish children off plane once trained 9/11 terrorists

The pilot remembered Atta and Al Shehhi as “normal lads” despite their “sexist” attitudes, noting they “never said anything bad about the US.”

By Jewish Breaking News

When Vueling Airlines captain Ivan Chirivella ordered police to remove 50 Jewish children from his flight last week, passengers had no idea they were watching a man who had previously trained the terrorists who flew planes into the World Trade Center.

Children aged 10 to 15 were returning to Paris from a summer camp in Spain when the incident unfolded aboard flight VY8166 at Valencia’s airport on July 23.

The group from Club Kineret had boarded normally and taken their seats when some began singing Hebrew songs.

Flight crew warned they would call police if the singing continued. Karine Lamy, whose child was among the group, told Israeli television channel i24NEWS that the children stopped when asked.

Minutes later, Spanish Civil Guard officers boarded the aircraft anyway.

Police ordered the entire group off the aircraft and arrested their 21-year-old camp director, handcuffing her in front of the children.

Video footage of the arrest quickly spread on social media, showing officers instructing passengers to place their phones on the ground to prevent filming.

The Spanish Civil Guard confirmed removing 44 minors and eight adults from the plane. Officials said the camp director “refused to get off the plane and obey the officers” but was later released without charges.

Vueling officials presented a different version of what transpired, claiming that emergency equipment was tampered with and crew instructions were ignored by the group.

“A group of passengers engaged in highly disruptive behavior and adopted a very confrontational attitude, putting at risk the safe conduct of the flight,” the airline stated immediately after the incident.

“We categorically deny any suggestion that our crew’s decision related to the religion of the passengers involved. At Vueling, we categorically reject any form of discrimination without exception.”

When pressed for details about the pilot on Friday, Vueling confirmed that Chirivella, born in the Canary Islands in 1976, had commanded the flight—though they left out his connection to September 11th.

According to an investigation by the Telegraph, Chirivella previously worked as a flight instructor at Jones Aviation Academy in Florida, where he taught 9/11 terrorists Mohamed Atta and Marwan Al Shehhi in 2000.

9/11 hijackers Marwan Al Shehhi (L) and Mohamed Atta (R)

Atta piloted American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, while Al Shehhi flew United Airlines Flight 175 into the South Tower 17 minutes later, killing 2,753 people.

Chirivella wrote about training the future hijackers in a 2003 book titled “Innocent Accomplice.” He remembered Atta and Al Shehhi as “normal lads” despite their “sexist” attitudes, noting they “never said anything bad about the US.”

Both men were eventually expelled from the flight academy for aggressive behavior toward female employees and attempts to falsify training documents.

Following the September 11 attacks, FBI agents investigated Chirivella’s connection to the hijackers. At the time, he told Spanish newspaper El Mundo that federal investigators had treated him and others “unfairly.”

Chirivella has flown for Vueling since 2006, accumulating over 12,500 flight hours across routes to more than 30 countries. Beyond his captain duties, he works as an instructor at an independent flight school.

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