Turks Surrender After Hijacking Plane To Protest Pope Visit
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BRINDISI, Italy (AP) – Two Turks protesting Pope Benedict XVI’s trip to Turkey next month hijacked a jet carrying 113 people from Albania to Istanbul on Tuesday, and it landed safely in this southern Italian coastal city, where they surrendered, officials said.
The two gave themselves up to police about two hours after the Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-400 landed, Italian news agencies reported. The passengers began leaving the plane shortly after that, said Loredana Rosati, a spokeswoman for ENAC, Italy’s civil aviation authority.
Passenger Ergun Ozkeseoglu told Turkish NTV television by telephone from inside the jet that one of the hijackers waved and apologized to passengers as he left the plane. Some of the passengers could be heard applauding in response.
