'Drunken Turkish Airlines hijacker' foiled
Wednesday, 15 Oct 2008 14:02
Hijacker who attempted to take over a Turkish Airlines has been overpowered
A would-be hijacker has been foiled after being overpowered by his fellow Turkish Airlines passengers in Belarusian airspace.
The man, said to be of Uzbek nationality and drunk at the time of the incident, was disarmed when he claimed to have a bomb and ordered the plane to be diverted.
The Airbus A-320, which 167 passengers onboard, was en route to St Petersburg from Antalya when the hijack attempt took place.
Turkish aviation officials confirmed the plane landed safely and as scheduled in the Russian city at 12:20 BST – about two hours after the midair incident.
"The passenger claimed to have a bomb and wanted to divert the plane to a destination of his choice," said Orhan Birdal, head of Turkey's airport management authority.
"The person was subdued and put under control... There is nothing to worry about at the moment."