Reluctant Iraqi Hijacker in Custody

A M M A N, Jordan, Sept 28 -- An Iraqi on board a Jordanian airliner on a flight from Yemen to Amman handed himself over to the crew today, saying he had orders from an underground group to hijack the plane, a senior airport official said.

Head of the Jordanian Civil Aviation Authority Captain Jihad Irsheid said that during the last stage of the regular Sanaa-Amman flight, passenger Mohammed Yassen al-Hameediapproached a hostess with a piece of paper to give to the pilot.

The note said he wanted protection from “the terroristgroup” that allegedly commissioned him to kill the pilot and hijack the plane.

“The letter said he was assigned with hijacking the planebut was an honest man and did not want to harm Jordan,” Irsheid said. “He wanted to land in Amman and seek protection to disclose the network and the plot that targeted Jordan.”

Irsheid said the alleged would-be hijacker also handed overa fake bomb.

Hameedi, in his late 30s, was taken into police custody afterthe plane arrived safely in Amman with none of the 119 passengers on board the Airbus 310 suspecting anything unusual, Irsheid said.

Security officials in Jordan are questioning the man but haven’t said who’s behind the plot.

Spate of Attempts

It was the third hijack attempt involving Jordanian planes in three months.

Earlier this month a knife-wielding Iraqi hijacked a QatariAirways airliner during a flight from the Qatari capital toAmman and surrendered to police after the plane landed in Saudi Arabia.

In July, a Syrian national was shot dead by security guardson board a Royal Jordanian flight from Amman to Damascus after he tried to divert the plane. A small bomb he was carrying exploded, wounding several passengers.