Passengers on a flight from Norway this week thwarted a hijacking attempt when they overpowered a man trying to force his way into the cockpit.
The suspect, who pulled a mask over his face and claimed he had a bomb, tried to force the Istanbul-bound Turkish Airlines flight to return to Oslo. He was, however, subdued by the flight’s passengers and arrested when the plane finally arrived at its planned destination.
According to the Turkish media, the would-be hijacker came from a Kurdish village in the region of Anatolia in the southeast of the country. His motives are so far unclear but no one was hurt in the attempt.
According to the Dogan news agency in Turkey, the man said, “I have a bomb” before trying to push his way into the cockpit. One passenger said the struggle began on flight TK1754 about half an hour before the plane was due to land in Istanbul.
“I saw a fight between passengers and a man with a mask, carrying a device that looked like a radio handset,” said Lelya Kilic, one of the 59 onboard.
The pilot raised the alarm and, according to police, a passenger was sat on top of the subject when they raided the aircraft. The device the man was carrying was found to be a fake bomb.