"Turkish hijacker arrested after demanding flight be diverted to Iran

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Turkey detains man for allegedly trying to hijack jetliner by threatening to
set off bomb 
The Associated Press


ANKARA, Turkey - A man who allegedly commandeered a Turkish jetliner Tuesday
by threatening to set off a bomb was detained after the plane landed in
Ankara, but no explosives were found, authorities said. 

Transport Minister Binali Yildirim said a passenger announced he had a bomb
after the Pegasus airline Boeing 737 took off from Diyarbakir, the largest
city in Turkey's Kurdish-dominated southeast. 

The man, identified as Mehmet Goksin Gol, 39, initially said he wanted the
plane diverted to the capital, Ankara, but changed his mind and demanded it
fly to Tehran, Iran, Yildirim said. But the pilots landed at Ankara and the
man gave himself up about 40 minutes later. 

Yildirim said the man did not make any political demands and the reason for
the hijacking was still under investigation. 

No injuries were reported among the 178 passengers and six crew members.

 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dcfp/dcboard.php


*****************************************