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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/23/libyan-afriqiyah-airways-passenger-plane-hijacked-diverted-to-malta
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| Libyan passenger plane hijacked and diverted to Malta | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| An airliner on an internal flight in Libya has been hijacked and diverted to Malta, where the airport appears to have been shut down. | |
| The Airbus A320 operated by the state-owned airline Afriqiyah Airways had 118 people on board, and was travelling between the cities of Sabha and Tripoli. | |
| The two hijackers claimed to be in possession of a hand grenade, the Times of Malta reported. | |
| All flights to and from the airport had been cancelled or diverted | |
| Malta’s prime minister, Joseph Muscat, tweeted: “Informed of potential hijack situation of a Libya internal flight diverted to Malta. Security and emergency operations standing by.” | Malta’s prime minister, Joseph Muscat, tweeted: “Informed of potential hijack situation of a Libya internal flight diverted to Malta. Security and emergency operations standing by.” |
| Informed of potential hijack situation of a #Libya internal flight diverted to #Malta. Security and emergency operations standing by -JM | Informed of potential hijack situation of a #Libya internal flight diverted to #Malta. Security and emergency operations standing by -JM |
| The Maltese president, Marie-Louise Coleiro, appealed for calm as the airport authorities confirmed an “unlawful interference” at the airport and said emergency teams had been dispatched. | |
| Following the news re #Afriqiyah Airways @Maltairport, I appeal for everyone to remain calm and follow official updates | |
| Malta lies only 350km north of Tripoli, and even closer to Tunisia, and has been a destination for hijackers before. | |
| In 1985 an EgyptAir flight from Athens to Cairo was forced to land in Malta, where a 24-hour ordeal ended with the death of 60 hostages, many killed when Egyptian commandos stormed the plane in what was considered a botched operation. | |
| A decade earlier the then prime minister Dom Mintoff negotiated a happier conclusion to another hijacking. A KLM flight from Amsterdam to Tokyo was hijacked over Iraqi airspace, then flew to Malta after being refused landing permission anywhere else. Mintoff secured the release of 247 passengers and 8 crew in return for fuel, and the plane headed to Dubai where the remaining hostages were released. |