Turkish Plane Hijacked

Al Qaeda doesn't take the weekend off.

ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Hijackers claiming to have bombs and to be members of al-Qaida hijacked a Turkish passenger plane on Saturday as it was heading from northern Cyprus to Istanbul, officials and passengers said.

The hijackers had asked that the Atlastjet Airlines plane be diverted to Iran or Syria but the pilots landed the plane at Antalya airport in southwestern Turkey, said Tuncay Doganer, CEO of Atlasjet.

Most of the passengers managed to escape from the rear exit of the plane while the hijackers were releasing the women from the front exit, one passenger told the private Turkish television station NTV.

Doganer said only crew and "a small number" of passengers were left on board. CNN-Turk television said two crew — possibly the pilots — and nine passengers were still inside.

It was not clear how many hijackers were on board. The passenger, who was not identified, said the hijackers were speaking Arabic among themselves.

The hijackers wanted the plane diverted to Iran or Syria.

The hijackers were reportedly speaking Arabic among themselves.

Is there anything at all surprising about those details?

NO.

I'd be surprised if the hijackers weren't speaking Arabic.
________________________

AP has some new details.

Here, we learn that the hijacking was a protest against the U.S.

Two men who hijacked a Turkish passenger plane in an apparent protest against the U.S. surrendered to authorities Saturday after holding some crew members and passengers hostage for more than four hours. No one was hurt.

The men claimed to be carrying a bomb and demanded that the Atlasjet Airlines plane headed from northern Cyprus to Istanbul be diverted to Iran. The plane, which had taken off from northern Cyprus headed for Istanbul, landed at Antalya airport after pilots said they needed to refuel.

"The adventure that started early in the morning finally came to an end," said Tuncay Doganer, the CEO of Atlasjet. "With the two hijackers having surrendered, the incident ended with no bloodshed."

...Turkey's Transport Minister Osman Gunes said one hijacker is Turkish, while the other is believed to be Palestinian carrying a Syrian passport.

Passenger Erhan Erkul told NTV that the hijackers ran toward the cockpit shortly after takeoff, tried to break down the door but failed.

"They claimed to have bombs," Erkul said.

A female passenger, who was not identified, said the hijackers allowed the crew to serve water to the passengers.

Passengers speaking to NTV and CNN-Turk said the hijackers spoke Arabic to each other and promised not to harm the passengers. "We are Muslims," the passengers quoted one of the hijackers as saying.

Once on the ground in Antalya, the hijackers allowed one of the doors on the side of the plane to be opened for fresh air after the air conditioner of the plane was switched off and some passengers fainted.

Later, AP gives a different story.

One of the men was Turkish and the other was believed to be a Palestinian carrying a Syrian passport, Transport Minister Osman Gunes said.

Their motives for hijacking the plane were not immediately clear. Gunes said the hijackers, identified as Mehmet Resat Ozlu and Abdul Aziz Maliki, told an official they "apologized to the Turkish nation" for seizing the plane.

Alaaddin Yuksel, governor of Antalya province, said a passenger suspected to have ties with the hijackers was also detained and that the hijackers were being questioned by anti-terrorism police.

Yuksel said the two told police in an initial questioning that they tried to force open the cockpit's door and that they told the passengers they were members of al-Qaida and had placed plastic explosives on the plane.

Experts were examining the material the hijackers had claimed was a bomb, Gunes said.

Earlier, Turkish Cypriot authorities said the men were Iranians protesting U.S. policies, and some passengers said the hijackers claimed they were affiliated with al-Qaida. There was no confirmation of the claims.

...Passengers speaking to NTV and CNN-Turk said the hijackers spoke Arabic to each other and promised not to harm the passengers. "We are Muslims," the passengers quoted one of the hijackers as saying.

The later AP account doesn't make any reference to passengers fainting. It focuses on the peaceful ending.

All's well that ends well.

So the hijackers apologized. There was no bloodshed. The hijackers' motives were unclear.

They weren't really members of al Qaeda. They weren't Iranians protesting U.S. policies.

In other words, Mehmet Resat Ozlu and Abdul Aziz Maliki hijacked a plane for no apparent reason other than to announce, "We are Muslims."

They initially made up a story to explain their actions. They're just a little confused, I guess.

No harm, no foul. Right?

Never mind.