This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

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

The article has changed 15 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 8 Version 9
Libyan hijackers surrender after release of hostages from plane diverted to Malta Libyan hijackers surrender after release of hostages from plane diverted to Malta Libyan hijackers surrender after release of hostages from plane diverted to Malta
(about 1 hour later)
Two Gaddafi loyalists who hijacked an internal Libyan flight with hand grenades forced the pilot to fly to Malta have been arrested by authorities there after allowing all the passengers and crew to leave the plane without violence. Two men loyal to the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi hijacked a domestic flight with a hand grenade and pistols and forced the pilot to fly to Malta, reportedly claiming they wanted publicity for a new political party before letting passengers and crew leave the plane unharmed.
The four-hour standoff ended when the two men, who reportedly claimed they wanted to launch a new political party, came out of the Afriqiyah Airways plane with a crew-member who was their final hostage. The four-hour standoff with negotiators from Malta and Libya ended on Friday when the two men came out of the Afriqiyah Airways plane with a crewmember who was their final hostage, and were led away in handcuffs.
“Hijackers surrendered, searched and taken in custody,” Maltese prime minister, Joseph Muscat said on Twitter, after the 116 passengers and crew on board were allowed to leave the plane in batches. The crew and 116 other passengers on board were allowed to leave the plane in batches, after which the Maltese prime minister, Joseph Muscat, tweeted:
As negotiations were underway one of the hijackers told Libya’s Channel TV in a phone call that he headed a party supporting the late dictator Muammar Gaddafi, and had organised the uprising to promote the group. Hijackers surrendered, searched and taken in custody.
In a later tweet, he said initial examinations had shown that the weapons used were replicas.
The Airbus A320, operated by the state-owned airline, was hijacked on an internal route between the cities of Sabha and Tripoli. During the negotiations, one of the hijackers told Libya’s Channel TV in a phone call that he headed a party supporting Gaddafi, and had organised the incident to promote the group.
رئيس حزب الفاتح الجديد: قمنا بهذا العمل لإشهار حزبنا الجديد والإعلان عنهرئيس حزب الفاتح الجديد: قمنا بهذا العمل لإشهار حزبنا الجديد والإعلان عنه
It is called the new Al-Fateh, a reference to Gaddafi’s rise to power in a 1969 coup, Reuters reported. Photos from Malta appeared to show a hijacker standing outside the plane with a green flag like those used by Gaddafi supporters. But the men’s exact demands, relayed to a team of Libyan and Maltese officials after Muscat spoke with his Libyan counterpart, remained unclear even after the negotiations were wrapped up.
Libya’s autocratic former leader was toppled then killed in a 2011 uprising, but since then much of the country has slid into violent chaos. Muscat said the negotiators had refused to open discussions until all passengers had been released and denied a report from the Libyan foreign minister that the men had claimed political asylum.
The Airbus A320, operated by the state-owned airline Afriqiyah Airways, was hijacked on an internal route between the cities of Sabha and Tripoli on Friday. One Libyan politician, Abdel-Salam al-Marabet, reported to be on the passenger list. “The hijackers were told that in order for any discussions to be entertained, they should release all passengers first,” Muscat said. “This request was negotiated and eventually accepted and passengers were released in groups.”
Most were released without the hijackers’ demands being made public. Negotiations were under way by early afternoon, and the first releases were announced soon after Muscat spoke to his Libyan counterpart, Fayez al-Sarraj. The men’s party was apparently called the New Al-Fateh, a reference to the 1969 coup that brought Gaddafi to power, Reuters reported. Photos from Malta appeared to show a hijacker standing outside the plane with a green flag like those used by Gaddafi supporters.
The plane had initially flown towards Malta, 220 miles (350km) north of Tripoli, then headed back towards Libya but turned around again to land in Malta, an official from Afriqiyah Airways said. Libya’s autocratic former leader was toppled and killed in a 2011 uprising, during which three of his sons also died. Since then, much of the oil-rich, sparsely populated country has descended into chaos.
The pilot had tried to persuade the hijackers to land in Libya, Reuters quoted a security source at the main airport as saying. Rival governments are vying for control, with western nations backing the UN-brokered administration as the best hope for uniting Libya, while a parliament that meets in the far east refuses to accept the government’s authority.
“The pilot reported to the control tower in Tripoli that they were being hijacked, then they lost communication with him,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “The pilot tried very hard to have them land at the correct destination but they refused.” The power vacuum has allowed affiliates of Islamic State and al-Qaida to take root and fuelled human trafficking along the coast. In recent years Libya’s beaches have become a key jumping-off point for migrants and refugees attempting the dangerous sea journey to Europe.
All flights to and from Malta’s airport were cancelled or diverted during the stand-off, and security forces gathered near the plane, which sat on the runway with its engines still running long after it had landed. The chaos in Libya may also have allowed the men to smuggle their weapons on board.
Muscat had put security and emergency operations on standby, and Maltese president, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, appealed for calm. The men initially told the pilot to fly to Malta, 220 miles (350km) north of Tripoli, but then briefly headed back towards Libya, and finally turned around again to land in Malta, an Afriqiyah Airways official said. The pilot had tried to persuade the hijackers to land in Libya, Reuters quoted a security source at the main airport as saying.
“The pilot reported to the control tower in Tripoli that they were being hijacked, then they lost communication with him,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “The pilot tried very hard to have them land at the correct destination.”
All flights to and from Malta’s airport were cancelled or diverted during the standoff, and security forces gathered near the plane, which sat on the runway with its engines running long after it had landed.
The Maltese president, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, appealed for calm.
Following the news re #Afriqiyah Airways @Maltairport, I appeal for everyone to remain calm and follow official updatesFollowing the news re #Afriqiyah Airways @Maltairport, I appeal for everyone to remain calm and follow official updates
Malta 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 of them were killed when Egyptian commandos stormed the plane in what was considered a botched operation. Negotiations were under way by early afternoon, and the first releases were announced soon after Muscat spoke to his Libyan counterpart, Fayez al-Sarraj.
A decade earlier the then prime minister, Dom Mintoff, negotiated a successful 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 eight crew members in return for fuel, and the plane headed to Dubai where the remaining hostages were released. Malta has been a destination for hijackers before. In 1985, an EgyptAir flight from Athens to Cairo was forced to land on the island, where a 24-hour ordeal ended with the death of 60 hostages. Many of them were killed when Egyptian commandos stormed the plane in what was considered a botched operation.
Twelve years earlier, the then prime minister, Dom Mintoff, negotiated a successful conclusion to another hijacking. A KLM flight from Amsterdam to Tokyo was hijacked over Iraqi airspace, then flew to Malta after it was refused landing permission everywhere else. Mintoff secured the release of 247 passengers and eight crewmembers in return for fuel, and the plane headed to Dubai, where the remaining hostages were released.
In 1997, an Air Malta flight to Istanbul was hijacked by two men who used hoax bombs to force a landing in Germany. They surrendered peacefully after two hours of negotiations.