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Report: Turkish passenger plane hijacked 18 minutes ago



Hijackers claiming to have bombs and to be members of al-Qaida hijacked a Turkish passenger plane on Saturday as it was heading from northern Cyprus to Istanbul, officials and passengers said.

The hijackers ......

Most of the passengers managed to escape ......

Cyprus has been divided between a Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish-occupied north since 1974, when Turkey invaded after an abortive Athens-backed coup by supporters of union with Greece.

THE ABOVE IS AN EXTRACT FROM AP NEWS AGENCY (AS PRINTED BY YAHOO NEWS ON AUGUST 19, 2007). THE NEWS IS THAT A TURKISH PLANE HAS BEEN HIGHJACKED BY ARABIC SPEAKING TERORISTS, ON ITS FLIGHT FROM CYPRUS TO TURKIA.

WHAT REALLY INTERESTED ME WAS ACTUALLY THE LAST PARAGRAPH OF THE YAHOO NEWS, WHERE THE CURRENT POLITICAL SITUATION IN CYPRUS IS JUSTLY SUMMERISED, IN A WAY RARELY EXERCISED BY GENERALLY PRO-GREEK WESTERN PRESS. IS THERE A CHANGE IN THE WINDS, OR WHAT?

FOR FULL STORY:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070818/ap_on_re_mi_ea/turkey_hijacked_plane&printer=1;_ylt=AgHq_Hx4LNp8VjiMxKncUtoUewgF

4 passengers are still on board plus 2 pilots . The plane lost control in the air for a while and passengers were terrified...

The plane is still currently being re-fuelled in Antalya and is reported to be heading for Iran.

I pray for a peaceful end

I heard that the hijackers wanted to go to Iran or Syria but that the pilots chose to land in Antalya. The plane is from the aircompany Jet Air or Atlas Air (two different news agencies). In the latest update in Holland (09.15 AM) they say that only the crew is on the plane, all passengers could escape.

Let's really hope for a peaceful end.

So sad!
I am with you, praying for the peaceful end.

News update is that the two terrorists are both Iranian nationals; students from a Cyprus University.

It seems odd that two Iranians should attempt to hijack a Turkish plane, just a day before a Turkish Minister will travel to Iran for an energy agreement.

Here you can see the passengers leaving the plane:

http://www.nos.nl/nosjournaal/artikelen/2007/8/18/180807_kaping_antalya.html

Now, there are just 2 hostesses and the pirates in the plabeç