BREAKING: Hijacked Libyan Plane Lands in Malta With 118 on Board

We Are Change

MALTA (WeAreChange) —  An aircraft on an internal flight in Libya was reportedly hijacked by a man claiming to be armed with a hand grenade on Friday and diverted to Malta, where it landed with 118 people on board.

Is is alleged that the hijacker told the crew he was “pro-Gaddafi” and that he was willing to let all 111 passengers leave the Airbus A320, but not the seven crew members, if his demands were met, according to the Times of Malta.

At this point in time, it is unclear what demands are being made and whether or not the hijacker is acting alone.

Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was killed in an uprising in 2011, and the country has been tornby factional violence ever since.

Troops took up positions a few hundred meters (yards) from the plane as it stood idle on the tarmac and no one was seen boarding or leaving it. The aircraft’s engines were still running 45 minutes after it landed in late morning, the Times of Malta said.

All other flights at Malta International Airport were canceled or diverted, it said.

The aircraft had been flying from Sebha in southwest Libya to Tripoli for state-owned Afriqiyah Airways, a route that would usually take a little over two hours.

The tiny Mediterranean island of Malta, a European Union member, is about 500 km (300 miles) north of Tripoli.

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat tweeted: “Informed of potential hijack situation of a #Libya internal flight diverted to #Malta. Security and emergency operations standing by -JM”.

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