Amman Security Foils Hijacking Attempt

A M M A N, Jordan, July 6 -- A Syrian who exploded a grenade aboard a Jordanian airliner during a failed hijack attempt on Wednesday was seeking asylum in Germany, the Jordanian government said today.

An official spokesman said the abortive operation, duringwhich the hijacker was shot dead after the stun grenade injured15 passengers, was an individual act with no political motivesor connections.

The hijacker wanted to divert the Amman-Damascus flight to Germany, the spokesman said.

Initial reports said two accomplices were arrested. But aCabinet minister said later that three other Syrians had beenquestioned then cleared by security officials.

Mahmoud Rizek Deeb, a mechanic from the Syrian coastal cityof Tartous, wanted “some sort of asylum” in Germany after hisvisa application was rejected by the German authorities, thespokesman was quoted by Petra state news agency as saying.

Hijacker Worked in Germany

He said Deeb had worked in Germany before being jailed inSyria for unspecified criminal activity. The German authoritiesturned him down when he applied to return to Germany with hisfamily after he was released from jail.

“The foiled hijack was an individual act not related to anyorganization or political motives behind it,” the spokesmansaid, adding that Deeb had his two children and a brother withhim.

Information Minister Taleb al-Rifai said reenactments were being staged at the airport toascertain how Deeb smuggled a pistol and a grenade onto the plane, bypassing metal detectors.

Extra security was in place at Alia International Airport today, officials said.

Two Shots and an ExplosionThe plane, Royal Jordanian Flight 435 from Amman to Damascus, took off from Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport before the confrontation started, said Capt. Jihad Arsheid, the head of Jordan’s civil aviation authority.

It had been in the air for about 10 minutes when the hijacker tried to enter the cockpit, passengers said. Stopped by a security guard, he first fired a shot from a pistol and then exploded the stungrenade, designed to immobilize rather than kill.