9/11 pilot blackmail: Notorious fugitive arrested in Valencia after extorting Vueling captain

Iván Chirivella, a veteran Vueling captain known in aviation circles as 'Iván Canario', was targeted after a thief broke into his BMW X3 in the affluent Campolivar neighbourhood of Paterna on 3 June.

The thief stole a black leather briefcase containing the captain's passport, flying credentials, and a company tablet loaded with sensitive operational data. Shortly after the break-in, the culprit contacted Captain Chirivella, demanding €300 (£250) for the safe return of his professional essentials.

Unwilling to yield quietly, Captain Chirivella alerted the Paterna Local Police, who immediately set up an undercover trap.

When the pilot drove to the designated handover point, a police officer was concealed inside his vehicle, while uniformed patrols maintained a discreet perimeter nearby.

When an intermediary arrived to collect the cash, officers moved in and arrested him on the spot. However, the alleged mastermind behind the extortion - identified as 19-year-old Francisco R. O. - managed to slip through the police cordon and flee into the surrounding area.

The case brings together two extraordinary chapters in Captain Chirivella's life. Back in 2000, while working as a flight instructor at an aviation academy in Florida, Chirivella taught basic flight mechanics to Mohamed Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi - the two Islamist terrorists who later hijacked and crashed commercial airliners in the United States on 11 September 2001.

Following an exhaustive FBI investigation, authorities established that Captain Chirivella had no connection to the terrorist plot and no prior knowledge of their plans. He later recounted the traumatic coincidence in his book, Cómplice Inocente (Innocent Accomplice).

Years later, between November 2025 and May 2026, 19-year-old Francisco R. O. was carrying out a widespread crime spree across Valencia. Following the 3 June 2026 briefcase theft and failed police trap, the suspect became Paterna's primary target. Throughout June and July 2026, he repeatedly evaded police capture by exploiting a close-knit network in the La Coma district, hiding behind open doors in residential buildings and once fleeing on a borrowed motorbike despite never having held a driving licence.

The multi-month police operation finally ended in late July 2026 when National Police officers spotted him in La Coma. Following a desperate foot chase through narrow alleyways and into a private residence, officers arrested him, and an on-call judge subsequently ordered him held in custody without bail.

Judicial sources confirm that Francisco R. O. faces an extensive criminal charge sheet spanning at least ten counts of robbery involving threats and intimidation carried out between November 2025 and July 2026.

National Police investigators in Paterna have also charged him with multiple street-level bag-snatching incidents and thefts targeting pedestrians, two road safety offences (including driving without a licence), and three separate counts of resistance and serious disobedience to law enforcement officers.

Furthermore, at the time of his arrest, the teenager was the subject of two outstanding court arrest warrants in connection with an alleged unlawful detention and a domestic burglary. While most of his daily offending occurred in Paterna, police confirmed his activities extended across five municipalities, including Burjassot, Godella, San Antonio de Benagéber, and Cartagena.

An investigating magistrate in Paterna reviewed the police file and ordered the teenager to be held on remand without bail, bringing an end to his multi-town crime spree.

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