People are calling it a divine intervention.
A Libyan man, Ameur Al-Mansour Gaddafi, was supposed to board a recent flight along with dozens of pilgrims going to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj.
But at the last moment, he was stopped by the immigration staff at the Sebha International Airport, which is located in central Libya. His surname, Gaddafi, appeared as flagged, perhaps because it resembled the name of deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Despite his persistent pleas, the plane departed without him.
While family members and airport staff urged him to leave and accept the situation, he stayed back.
Gaddafi said, “I will not move from here unless it’s toward Hajj,” the Gulf News reported
Fate intervenes
Shortly after the plane's departure, fate intervened.
The aircraft was forced to return to the airport due to a technical malfunction affecting its air conditioning system, local media says.
As the plane landed, the airline staff attempted to facilitate Gaddafi's boarding by requesting the pilot to open the door.
However, the pilot declined, citing logistical challenges since the engines were still running.
‘I will not fly without him’
In an unexpected turn of events, the plane encountered a second malfunction that required another emergency return.
Following this, the captain of the flight announced:
“I swear I won’t fly again unless Amer is with us on this plane,” Arynews reported.
Amid cheers and applause from fellow passengers, he was finally allowed to board the flight, a moment that was captured on video and shared widely across social media platforms.
“I only wanted to go to Hajj,” Amer later said in local media.
“And I believed that if it was written for me, no force could prevent it.”
Every year, thousands of Muslims embark on the Hajj pilgrimage.
Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by those who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey.
Muslims believe that the holy journey is a call from God for the chosen ones.
