Swiss police have revealed that the hijacker of the Ethiopian Airlines plane, which landed in Geneva was the co-pilot.

The ET702 flight from Addis Ababa was destined for Rome, but later diverted by the hijacker, before being forced to land in Geneva.

The co-pilot waited for the pilot to go to the toilet and locked himself in the cockpit, the BBC reports. He was unarmed, police sources confirmed. They also revealed that the Ethiopian man, aged 30, wanted to seek asylum in Switzerland, due to fears of persecution at home.

The co-pilot himself alerted the authorities on the ground that the plane is hijacked, while the passengers knew nothing of the incident.

All 202 passengers and crew members were safely escorted out of the plane in Geneva and the hijacker was arrested.