|
Airport cops hold 'hijacker'
22/01/2007 22:04 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Police arrested a man after he allegedly threatened to detonate a bomb on a Johannesburg-bound Air Botswana flight on Monday evening.
"He apparently banged on the cockpit door and demanded that it be opened and threatened to bomb the plane," said spokesperson Vish Naidoo.
The man was arrested after the flight touched down at OR Tambo International Airport shortly after 18:00.
The landing area was secured while the plane was still in the air.
After it landed the man, on seeing that police had surrounded it, asked for an officer to come on board, where he was arrested.
No 'real threat'
"Our investigation has shown there was no real threat. No bomb was found, but the passengers were highly traumatised and had to be debriefed," said Naidoo.
The man would face charges of attempted hijacking and unlawful interference with a plane and its crew. Naidoo would not divulge any of the man's personal details, including his nationality.
There were about 20 people on board the flight, said Naidoo.
The Associated Press quoted Chris Hlakane, manager for the Airports Company South Africa, as saying: "He claimed to be an al-Qaeda member and claimed to have a list of demands".
|
News
