Libyan plane reportedly hijacked, lands in Malta
An airliner on an internal flight in Libya has been hijacked and diverted to Malta where it landed on Friday, Maltese media reported.
Two hijackers have threatened to blow up the Airbus A320, which has 118 people aboard, according to news outlets including the Times of Malta. The aircraft had been flying from Sebha in southwest Libya to Tripoli for state-owned Afriqiyah Airways.
The Malta airport authority said all emergency teams had been dispatched to the site of what it called an “unlawful interference” on the airport tarmac. The plane’s engines were still running.
State television TVM said the two hijackers on board had hand grenades and had threatened to set them off.
All flights in and out of Malta have been canceled.
The tiny Mediterranean island of Malta is about 500 kilometres north of the Libyan coast.
Earlier Friday, Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said in a tweet that there was a “potential hijack situation” involving an internal Libyan flight.