Hijackers of Libyan plane surrender in Malta

Hijackers of Libyan plane surrender in Malta

by Joseph Anthony
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REUTERS photo

Hijackers claiming to have a grenade took over a Libyan plane Dec. 23 and diverted it to Malta before releasing everyone onboard and surrendering to authorities, officials said.

โ€œFinal crew members leaving aircraft with hijackers,โ€ Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said on Twitter.
Minutes later he added: โ€œHijackers surrendered, searched and taken in custody.โ€

Libyan Foreign Minister Taher Siala said the two hijackers were supporters of slain dictator Moamer -Gadhafi and had requested political asylum in Malta.

Siala, from Libyaโ€™s internationally backed Government of National Accord, said the hijackers have also said they want to set up a pro-Gadhafi political party.

Two hijackers of a Libyan Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A320 surrender to Maltese military on the runway at Malta Airport

The plane landed at 11:32 a.m. (10:32 a.m. GMT) in Malta.

After more than an hour on the tarmac, the door of the Airbus A320 opened and a first group of women and children were seen descending a mobile staircase.

Dozens more passengers were released minutes later following negotiations that Maltese government sources said were led by the head of Maltaโ€™s military.

In all there were 111 passengers, including 28 women and a baby, on board, as well as seven crew members.

One of the hijackers of a Libyan Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A320 waves a Gaddafi-era Libyan flag at Malta Airport

The aircraft had been on a domestic Libyan route operated by Afriqiyah Airways from Sabha in southern Libya to the capital Tripoli but was re-routed.

โ€œThe Afriqiyah flight from Sabha to Tripoli has been diverted and has landed in Malta. Security services coordinating operations,โ€ Muscat tweeted earlier.

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