Turkish Police Detain Would-Be Airplane Hijacker
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ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish police yesterday detained a man who threatened to blow up a passenger plane unless the flight was diverted to Iran, officials said.
The man, identified as Mehmet Goksin Gol, claimed to have an explosive device on board, Transport Minister Binali Yildirim said. The private Pegasus airline flight was traveling from Diyarbakir, in the predominantly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, to Istanbul.
The man initially said he wanted the plane diverted to Ankara and then changed his mind and demanded that it change its route to Iran, Mr. Yildirim said.
The pilots landed the plane at Ankara’s Esenboga airport, where the man was arrested.
The man was not armed and did not have explosives but had a mobile phone that was made to look like a bomb, Mr. Yildirim said.
Earlier, officials said the hijacker had stormed the cockpit, but Pegasus airline CEO Ali Sabanci said the cockpit was locked in accordance with international flight rules and the man was not able to enter it. There were 178 passengers and crew on board, including three babies, the airline said. No injuries were reported, but one woman was treated for shock.
