Saudi Plane Bound for London Hijacked
B A G H D A D, Iraq, Oct. 15 -- Hijackers who commandeered a Saudi plane while over the Mediterranean Seaand took it to Baghdad on Saturday have been arrested, Iraqi statetelevision reported, ending a daylong ordeal for the 105 people onboard.
Details on how the hijacking was resolved were not immediatelyavailable, but state television said all the passengers were safeand would be taken to a Baghdad hotel. The hijackers asked forpolitical asylum, the television reported.
The Boeing 777 had landed at Baghdad’s Saddam InternationalAirport about 8 p.m. local time, the official Iraqi News Agencystated.
Upset Over Investigation
Speaking before the release of the passengers, an Iraqi official in militaryuniform said the hijackers, who appeared to number four, said theyseized the plane because they were upset over an investigation intothe human rights situation in Saudi Arabia that was too favorableto the government.
They also said they ordered Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 115 tofly to Baghdad because Iraq rejects “U.S. hegemony,” said theofficial, who was shown speaking on state television but notidentified.
Security at the Baghdad airport was tight, with guards turningaway journalists. Ambulances, buses, a fire engine and a fueltanker went into the airport as reporters watched.
Saudi Arabia and Iraq have had no relations since Iraqi troopsinvaded Kuwait in 1990. But the Iraqi Ministry of Culture andInformation issued a statement saying “the safety and security ofthe Saudi plane’s passengers concerns us as if they were Iraqicitizens. Therefore, we reassure the families of the passengersthat the Iraqi authorities will take [care] of their relatives’ safety andcomfort to the maximum extent.”
Various Nationalities
Saudi Arabian Airlines officials in Jiddah said the plane had 90passengers and 15 crew, led by an Ethiopian captain.
The airline officials said the passengers were 40 Britons, 15Saudis, 15 Pakistanis, four Yemenis, four South Africans, twoKenyans, and one each from France, India, Lebanon, Nigeria, Oman,the Palestinian territories, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and theUnited States.
