Hijacker claiming to have a bomb tries to divert plane to Sochi before being forced to land: official
A Ukrainian passenger claiming to have a bomb tried to hijack an Istanbul-bound flight and force the plane to land in Sochi, Russia, as the Olympics kicked off, an official said Friday.
But the pilot set off an alarm and Turkey scrambled an F-16 military fighter jet to escort the plane to Sabiha Gokcen airport, NTV television reported. The pilot reportedly convinced the alleged hijacker that they were in Sochi, as he landed the plane safely in Istanbul.
Turkish special forces seized the man, media reported, and video footage showed officials leading a man in a tracksuit from the plane.
An official said authorities have subdued the man.
Huseyin Avni Mutlu, the Istanbul governor, says on Twitter that “the operation has ended.”
In another tweet Friday, he said all passengers were evacuated “without any problems.”
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Soluk said the man rose from his seat, shouted that there was bomb on board and tried to enter the locked cockpit. He was reportedly carrying a detonator on the flight from Kharkiv, Ukraine
The pilot signalled that there was a hijack attempt and the airport was placed on high alert. Turkey scrambled an F-16 military jet to force the plane to land in Istanbul.
“The man was made to believe the plane was heading to Sochi,” Soluk said. “We are hoping that the passengers are evacuated without even a nose-bleed.”
Anti-terrorist commandos and armed police reportedly searched all the passengers for explosives. Security officials were also searching the plane, a transportation official told CNN.
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Security experts warn that Islamic militants in the Caucasus, who have threatened to derail the Winter Games that run from Feb. 7-23, could achieve their goal by choosing soft targets away from the Olympic sites or even outside Sochi.
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