Hijackers onboard an Afriqiyah Airways flight from Libya have agreed to give up their weapons and set all passengers free, although this has yet to be officially confirmed, reports MaltaToday.
The plane diverted to Malta after being ‘hijacked’ on Friday, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said via Twitter.
In his tweet, the PM wrote: “Informed of potential hijack situation of a #Libya internal flight diverted to #Malta. Security and emergency operations standing by -JM.”
Malta’s President, Marie-Louise Coleiro, appealed for “everyone to remain calm and follow official updates.”
The Libyan passenger aircraft, with 118 people onboard, was on an internal flight when it was diverted after two hijackers threatened to ‘blow up’ the plane with a hand grenade, according to MaltaToday.
Pro-Muammar Gaddafi supporters
Initial indications from local media suggested that the hijackers, reportedly from Al Fateh Al Gadida, are pro-Muammar Gaddafi supporters who also threatened to keep the passengers hostage unless certain, as yet unknown, demands were met.
The Afriqiyah Airbus A320, landed in Malta at around 11:32am (local time), according to MaltaToday.
It is one of three A320s that Afriqiyah, a state-owned airline based in Tripoli, owns.
The plane, flight number 8U209, left Sabha in southwest Libya for Tripoli at 10:10am. It was scheduled to arrive in Tripoli at 11:20am, but was instead to diverted to Malta International Airport at 11:20.
Malta International Airport announced that there was an “unlawful interference at the airport and that all emergency teams have been dispatched to the site.“
Police armed forces, and emergency medical services were dispatched on site, tweeted Health Minister Chris Fearne.
Read more here.
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