Sudanese Hijackers Surrender in Libya, Appeal for Asylum
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
TRIPOLI, Libya — Two Sudanese men, armed with handguns and the threat of explosives, stormed the cockpit of the Boeing 737, taking control just minutes into the flight. Passengers said the hijackers remained calm but they still spent a night in fear.
Once on the ground at a remote Libyan airfield, the hijackers demanded maps and enough fuel to reach France. But after 22 hours, the standoff ended yesterday with the 95 passengers and crew let go and the gunmen surrendering in a run-down VIP lounge with a plea for asylum.
Passengers and officials at the airport in southeastern Libya said the men identified themselves as members of a Darfur rebel group — the Sudan Liberation Movement, which promptly denied any involvement.
But the executive director of Sun Air, which owns the jetliner, Murtada Hassan, said their motives were personal and they had no connection with any political or rebel groups. He would not elaborate.
The hijackers, Darfuri men in their 40s, made no political demands.
