| Europe |
| Hijacked plane arrives in Istanbul |
| 2006-10-05 |
| (KUNA) -- A total of 105 passengers aboard the Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-400 which was reported hijacked over Greek airspace Tuesday on a flight from Tirana, Albania, to Istanbul, Turkey, finally arrived in Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul after landing in Italy. A passenger told reporters at Ataturk International Airport the hijacker did not hurt any one and has apologized to the passengers. Istanbul's governor, Muammer Guler, said the hijacker was identified as Hakan Ekinci, 28, and is wanted by Turkey's justice courts for absconding from military service. According to private news channel NTV, Ekinci hijacked the plane in protest of the Pope Benedict's visit to Turkey on the 2nd of November. Benedict had angered Muslims, last month, when he gave out a speech connecting Islam with violence. CNN news channel said Ekinci wrote a letter to the pope saying that he is Christian and refuses to be enrolled in the military service in a Muslim army, denying previous reports that he is against the Pope's visit to Turkey. Turkish Media said Ekinci converted to Christianity and sent a letter to the Pope late August asking for his help to stop him from forcefully being recruited in Turkey's military service. Ekinci was born in Izmir city, western Turkey in 1978. He was accused of graft and robbery. He traveled to Albania last May and did not return back. |
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| Europe | |
| Turkish Hijacker Is Seeking Asylum, Fears Persecution in Turkey | |
| 2006-10-05 | |
A Turkish army deserter who hijacked a Turkish airliner to Italy is seeking asylum because he fears persecution in his Muslim homeland after his conversion to Christianity and wanted Pope Benedict XVI's protection, an Italian prosecutor said Wednesday.
Turkish officials have said that Hakan Ekinci was being sent back by Albania, where he had been denied asylum, to Turkey aboard the Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-400, with police waiting to arrest him in Istanbul where the 28-year-old deserter and convicted swindler would have landed Tuesday night. | |
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| Turkish Airlines hijackers surrender | |||
| 2006-10-04 | |||
| Two Turks trying to deliver a message to Pope Benedict XVI protesting at his planned trip to Turkey hijacked an airliner carrying 113 people from Albania to Istanbul on Tuesday, officials said. The two gave themselves up to police about two hours after the Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-400 landed, Italian news agencies reported. An Italian civil aviation official said the passengers were also leaving the plane. The plane, which was hijacked in Greek airspace after taking off from Albania, landed at Italy's Brindisi airport. Passenger Ergun Ozkeseoglu told Turkish NTV television by telephone from the plane that one of the hijackers waved and apologized to applauding passengers as he left the plane.
Istanbul Deputy Gov. Vedat Muftuoglu said the hijackers stormed into the cockpit about 15-20 minutes after take off from Tirana and asked the pilots to fly to Rome, but Italian warplanes forced it to land in Brindisi. "They told the pilots that they wanted to carry out an act to protest the pope and that they wanted the plane diverted to Rome and that they (the pilots) should not resist," Muftuoglu told Turkey's CNN-Turk television. The captain told the hijackers that the aircraft did not have sufficient fuel and the plane was diverted to Brindisi. "They seem to be not particularly hostile nor do they appear to be armed," said Salvatore Sciacchitano, deputy director of the ENAC civil aviation agency. Turkish authorities identified one of the hijackers as Hakan Ekinci. The other's first name was Mahmut, but his family name was not known. Sadri Abazi, an Albanian lawmaker aboard the hijacked plane told Albania's private News24 TV earlier that all passengers were safe and "there is no threat." Candan Karlitekin, chairman of Turkish Airlines' board of director confirmed Turkish news reports that the aircraft was hijacked by two Turks in protest at Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Turkey next month.
The two Turks told authorities they were prepared to turn themselves in, Karlitekin said. "The passengers are not under any threat. They will surrender, they declared that they will surrender the moment they hijacked the plane," Karlitekin said, adding that no one was hurt.
Benedict has expressed regret for offending Muslims by his remarks and said they did not reflect his personal views, but he has not offered a complete apology as some had sought. The Vatican said Tuesday it has been going ahead with plans for the trip and a Vatican official, asked about the hijacking, said he expected no changes in the pope's plans for the visit. The official, who asked that his name not be used because of the sensitivity of the issue, said an official Vatican announcement that the trip would take place Nov. 28-Dec. 1 would be made soon. | |||
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