A media report stated that Mohamed Ben Keylani, a Tunisian pilot, refused to take off knowing that five or six of the passengers were among Zin El Abdine Ben Ali’s relatives.

He said that he made eye contact with his aide, agreeing not to take off.

Keylani said he received a phone call Friday and was asked to transport VIPs. He told Al-Arabiya TV as published in Al Shorouq daily that he suspected them to be relatives of the ousted Ben Ali and therefore insisted not to fly the plane.

“It wasn’t heroic what I did, it was my duty,” he said.

He refused to take off with the “murders” on board. They were reportedly heading to Leon, France.