"He said he was carrying a bomb" -- passenger on hijacked Turkish plane
- 10 years ago
After a Pegasus Airlines aircraft scrambled to land in Istanbul Turkey after a Ukrainian man reportedly tried to hijack the jetliner -- demanding to go to the Winter Olympics in Russia --
Turkish passengers who were on board talk about the ordeal.
(SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH PASSENGER MESUT KOC SAYING:
"According to our translator, he said in Russian he wanted to go to the city where the Olympics are taking place. He said he was carrying a bomb and he would explode it."
The Istanbul Governor said the suspect, a 45-year-old man, had a small bag carrying electronic goods, but no bomb.
An investigation is underway, although there is no indication if the attempted hijacker had any affiliation to a particular organization.
Security officials in Europe and the U.S. have said intelligence reports are coming in last-minute about potential Olympics-related attacks.
Turkish passengers who were on board talk about the ordeal.
(SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH PASSENGER MESUT KOC SAYING:
"According to our translator, he said in Russian he wanted to go to the city where the Olympics are taking place. He said he was carrying a bomb and he would explode it."
The Istanbul Governor said the suspect, a 45-year-old man, had a small bag carrying electronic goods, but no bomb.
An investigation is underway, although there is no indication if the attempted hijacker had any affiliation to a particular organization.
Security officials in Europe and the U.S. have said intelligence reports are coming in last-minute about potential Olympics-related attacks.