Kidnapping added to charges facing air controllers

Already looking at charges of abandoning their jobs, harassment and sedition, the 16 air traffic controllers on trial for last December's wildcat strike were told Wednesday they face an additional charge: kidnapping. A passenger traveling to Düsseldorf at the time filed a complaint against the controllers for keeping him inside a jet for three hours.

"We found out what was happening through the internet on our cellphone," said Víctor Valladares, the passenger in question. "This illegal detention wasn't just limited to three hours — it was the entire weekend."

The unprecedented strike, which paralyzed Spanish air traffic, was over pay and conditions.