Passengers released from hijacked Libyan aircraft at Maltese airport
Valletta — Hijackers claiming to have a grenade took over a Libyan plane and diverted it to the island of Malta on Friday. Army vehicles surrounded the plane on the tarmac, and flights were delayed or diverted to Italy. An hour later, the door of the Airbus A320 opened, and a group of women and children descended a mobile staircase. Dozens more passengers were released minutes later. Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said altogether 109 passengers were released, which would leave only two people behind, possibly the hijackers. The flight had a crew of seven. "Crew members being released," Muscat tweeted. "Potentially two hijackers and some crew members still on board aircraft." Maltese officials thought at first there was only one hijacker.
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