Drama unfolded aboard a Turkish Airlines flight from Oslo to Istanbul םמ Wednesday when a would-be hijacker tried to force his way into the cockpit of the plane, threatening to blow up the aircraft.
He appeared to be carrying a device that looked like a radio handset, according to one of the 59 passengers aboard flight TK1754.
“I have a bomb,” the masked man allegedly threatened, the Turkish Dogan news agency reported.
Police said Cuma Yasar, a Turk, demanded that the plane return to Norway. His motive was unclear.
Flight attendants moved the other passengers on the flight to the front of the plane, according to passenger Salim Tahar, who said the would-be hijacker stayed in the back.
Passengers overpowered Yasar as the plane landed at Ataturk airport, those on the flight told police. When officers entered the aircraft, they reportedly found a passenger sitting on top of the hijacker, according to the Reuters news agency.
No one was injured in the incident. The “bomb” was found to be a fake.
10 Incidents in 20 Years
There have been 10 hijackings or attempted hijackings in the past 20 years on Turkish flights; this was the second such attempt in the past three years.
In August 2007, a 25-year-old Palestinian Authority Arab holding a Syrian passport and a 27-year-old Turkish student learning in Cyprus tried to hijack a plane. The pair attempted unsuccessfully to force their way into the cockpit of a World Focus Airlines flight from Nicosia to Istanbul.
The two would-be hijackers , armed with a knife and a fake plastic bomb, demanded the pilot fly them to Tehran. Mommen Abdul Aziz Talik and Mehmet Resat Oz held the passengers hostage until the aircraft reached Antalya for refueling, eventually surrendering to authorities.