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| Libyan Jet Hijacked and Diverted to Malta | Libyan Jet Hijacked and Diverted to Malta |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| CAIRO — A Libyan airliner carrying over 100 people was hijacked Friday morning and forced to land in Malta, the Maltese government said. | CAIRO — A Libyan airliner carrying over 100 people was hijacked Friday morning and forced to land in Malta, the Maltese government said. |
| At least one hijacker was on board the Airbus A320 and threatened to detonate an explosive device, according to Maltese news reports. | At least one hijacker was on board the Airbus A320 and threatened to detonate an explosive device, according to Maltese news reports. |
| The flight, operated by the state-owned Afriqiyah Airways of Libya, took off from the southern Libyan city of Sebha and was bound for Tripoli, the capital, which is on the coast. It was diverted to Malta, about 200 miles across the Mediterranean Sea from Tripoli. | |
| In a message posted on Twitter, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat of Malta confirmed that the flight had landed and said that local security services were “coordinating operations.” | In a message posted on Twitter, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat of Malta confirmed that the flight had landed and said that local security services were “coordinating operations.” |
| Mr. Muscat said there were 111 people on the plane, including 82 men, 28 women and one infant. | |
| The Times of Malta posted a short video of an Afriqiyah plane parked on a runway, watched by soldiers in two jeeps. | The Times of Malta posted a short video of an Afriqiyah plane parked on a runway, watched by soldiers in two jeeps. |
| The identity or number of hijackers, or the nature of their demands, was not immediately clear. Libya is in the throes of a complex civil conflict involving multiple armed groups. | The identity or number of hijackers, or the nature of their demands, was not immediately clear. Libya is in the throes of a complex civil conflict involving multiple armed groups. |
| This month, fighters allied with the United Nations-backed unity government ousted Islamic State fighters from their stronghold in the coastal city of Surt. | This month, fighters allied with the United Nations-backed unity government ousted Islamic State fighters from their stronghold in the coastal city of Surt. |