High-jacking attempt against an Algerian plane foiled
Algeria, Local, 8/20/2003

The Algerian official news agency has announced the foiling of an attempt to highjack one of the Algerian airlines planes yesterday, Tuesday.

A 55 year old man tried to highjack a plane and change its track just five minutes after taking off from the airport of the capital Algiers, threatening the crew of the plane of using what he alleged a bomb he was carrying before he surrendered to the special protection forces on the board of the plane.

The highjacker which the agency confined to mentioning his first name "Ibrahim" called for converting the destination of the plane to the Swiss capital, Geneva.

The high-jacking attempt was foiled after the crew of the plane was able to convince the highjacker that the plane is in need for landing in Wahran for fuel supplies.

The agency added that the plane landed safely at Wahran airport, where the highjacker surrendered to the special protection forces in the plane "without any problem." He was handed over to the Algerian security forces for investigation. The specialized Algerian forces also inspected the plane in search of explosions but found nothing.

The plane, Boeing 737, was in its way to Wahran and from there to the French city of Lil. The agency gave no mention to the number of passengers in the plane.

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