Vnukovo aircraft stormed by special forces (240 words)

Published: 3/16/2001

It appears that the hijack of a Vnukovo Airlines Tu-154, with 12 crew and a reported 120 passengers on board, on a charter flight from Istanbul to Moscow, is at an end. Saudi Special Forces stormed the aircraft this morning after the aircraft on the ground at Medina. Reports say three people have been killed in the action and several have been injured, with one of the dead a hijacker according to the Saudi authorities. The hijackers, reported to be 2 Chechens, took control of the plane 30 minutes after the take-off from Istanbul with demands to fly to Cairo, then to Syria, then to Saudi Arabia. Earlier reports suggested that the hijackers were seeking to fly onto Afghanistan. Alexander Klimov, acting General Director of Vnukovo Airlines, reported that the company had managed to speak to members of the crew after the hijack. He said that during hijack the hijackers injured one steward as they broke into the cockpit. According to Klimov the aircraft then lost altitude falling 400m before recovering. Last night, according to reports, 45 people left the aircraft, but 15 escaped by a rear exit including the aircraft's co-pilot. Russian President Putin ordered Vladimir Pronichev, the First Deputy Director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) to deal with hijack and there are reports that a team of Russian experts had gone to Saudi Arabia, although it is unclear whether they had any role in the rescue. Russian involvement seems unlikely given that the city is closed to non-Muslims.

Article ID: 2425