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Iran foils hijacking on Syria-bound plane

27 November 2010 16:08 (UTC +04:00)

Iran Air spokesman Shahrokh Nushabadi said the incident took place on Friday aboard Iran Air flight 517, which was bound for the Syrian capital, Damascus.
"As the plane was approaching Damascus, one of the passengers falsely claimed he had a bomb and that the plane should land in another country", Nushabadi told. "The air marshals immediately arrested the offender, who was unarmed," he told, describing the hijacker as "mentally unstable". "The air marshals talked to him, calmed him down and the plane safely landed in Damascus airport," he said.
Nushabadi said the man was handed over to unspecified authorities at Damascus airport. "I have planted a bomb on the plane and want to take control of it," the hijacker said. The would-be hijacker "was armed with a weapon, which wasn’t a firearm". Preliminary investigation showed there was no bomb on the aircraft.
Iran’s flagship carrier Iran Air has frequent weekly flights to the Syrian capital, which many Iranians visit on pilgrimage.