-Caveat Lector- http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_972000/ 972429.stm Saturday, 14 October, 2000, 19:22 GMT 20:22 UK Hijack plane lands in Iraq A Saudi Arabian Airlines flight seized by armed hijackers en route from Jeddah to London has landed in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. The hijackers, who had warned the pilot that they were carrying dynamite, threatened to blow up the Boeing 777-200 with its 95 passengers and 16 crew. Iraqi television has said there are five hijackers - an Ethiopian and four Saudis - and that they are seeking political asylum. The television said negotiations were under way between the Iraqi authorities and the hijackers. The airline has listed the nationalities of those on board the Saudi plane. They include 40 Britons and one American, as well as 15 Saudis, 15 Pakistanis, four South Africans, four Yemenis and two Kenyans. One report said that a member of the Saudi royal family was among the passengers. Saudi Arabia and Iraq broke off relations 10 years ago when Iraq invaded Kuwait. Since then, Iraq has angrily attacked Saudi Arabia's rulers for hosting western warplanes that patrol daily over Iraq. However, a spokesman for the Iraqi Culture and Information Ministry has issued an assurance that every effort will be made to protect those on board the airliner. "We would like to reassure the families of the passengers that the Iraqi authorities will look after them and tend to their needs as much as possible," he said. "We will make all the comforts of traditional Arab hospitality available to them if the hijackers allow it, until their plane returns home. First alert The first alert of the hijack came after the pilot of Flight 115 contacted Egyptian civil aviation officials at 1455 local time (1255 GMT). The airliner initially flew into Syrian airspace and circled the capital Damascus. Some reports said it had landed, but it later emerged that the landing had been aborted at the last moment on the orders of the hijacker. Reuters news agency said there was intense activity at the Baghdad airport after the plane landed at 7.45pm local time (1645 GMT). There are not normally many flight arrivals there because of UN sanctions against Iraq. Reporters outside the airport gate saw several empty buses and a large number of cars entering. Message from pilot Earlier, Israel radio broadcast the message from the pilot to Egyptian air traffic controllers: "The hijacker is saying that he has TNT (explosives) on board and he might blow the aircraft, and we have passengers from all kinds of nationalities. "Please contact Syrian air control and arrange for us permission to overfly Syrian airspace en route to Baghdad." The hijackers would have boarded the plane at Jeddah, where Saudi security is usually strict. However, the leader of the Saudi opposition group in London, Dr Saad Al-Faquih, told the BBC that those with tribal, personal or royal connections could sometimes bypass security. Worried relatives and friends of those on board the plane have been arriving at London Heathrow's Terminal 3 where the flight had been expected to touch down at 1740 local time (1640GMT). The helpline number is 0845 6040171 It is the second hijacking in the Gulf in a month. On 14 September, an Iraqi man hijacked a Qatar Airways plane at knifepoint and ordered it flown to Saudi Arabia. The 144 passengers and the crew escaped unharmed when the man surrendered to Saudi authorities at the city of Hael. ### You have the right to free speech, but only if you're not dumb enough to actually TRY it. -- The Clash <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
