Malta:
Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said Friday on Twitter he had been alerted to a "potential hijack" of a Libyan plane reported to be headed for the Mediterranean island.
Quick recap: Here is what happened during hijack of Libyan plane stationed in Malta- Hijackers diverted a Libyan plane carrying 118 people, including seven crew members, to the Mediterranean island of Malta
- The two hijackers on board had hand grenades and had threatened to explode them.
- Next, the two hijackers expressed a willingness to release the passengers but said they would keep the pilot.
- The doors of the plane opened at 1:44 pm and passengers were released in batches
- After many of the hostages left the plane Friday afternoon, someone, apparently a hijacker, waved the old green Libyan flag from the plane's doorway.
- The two hijackers then asked for political asylum in Malta, Libya's foreign minister said.
- The hijackers released crew members and surrendered
Hijackers surrendered, in custody. All passengers and crew members from Libyan plane
Hijackers Motives clear now, they seek asylum in Malta
Libya plane hijackers asking for asylum in Malta: Minister, reports news agency AFP.
Two Hijackers on Board with some crew members
After the release of passengers, crew members being released now
Further 44 passengers being released, said Joseph Muscat, Prime Minister of Malta. The total number of passengers released now stands at 109.
Hijacker motive still remains unclear
Initial reports said the hijacker had told crew he was "pro-Gaddafi" and that he was willing to let all 111 passengers leave the Airbus A320, but not its seven crew, if his demands were met, the Times of Malta said.
It was unclear what the demands were. Some media reports said there was more than one hijacker. Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was killed in an uprising in 2011, and the country has been racked by factional violence since.
65 passengers released so far, said Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat on Twitter
First 25 passengers in the Libyan plane stationed at Malta International airport have been released.
Hijackers want to release passengers but keep the pilot hostage: Airline Official to Associated Press
The doors of the plane opened at 1:44 pm local time and a staircase moved to the door before passengers began disembarking.
An official from Afriqiyah Airways said the two hijackers had expressed a willingness to release the passengers but that they will keep the pilot.
Serraj al-Fitouri also told Dubai-based Al-Arabiya TV that one Libyan lawmaker was among the list of passengers. It was unclear whether the lawmaker, identified as Abdel-Salam al-Marabet, had been on the flight that was hijacked earlier Friday.
Passengers have begun disembarking from hijacked Libyan aircraft in Malta
First set of passengers being released from Libyan Plane in Malta
The hijacker has told crew he was "pro-Gaddafi" and that he was willing to let all 111 passengers leave the Airbus A320, but not its seven crew, if his demands were met, the Times of Malta says.
The office of Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has confirmed that a negotiating team is on standby at Malta Airport, reports say. Mr Muscat has also spoken to his Libyan counterpart Faez al Serraj.
"The pilot reported to the control tower in Tripoli that they were being hijacked, then they lost communication with him," an official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The pilot tried very hard to have them land at the correct destination but they refused."
Armed forces surround the hijacked Libyan plane diverted to Malta Airport, reports say. The airport has been closed.
Reports quote Malta state TV saying two hijackers on Afriqiyah Airways plane have hand grenades and threatening to blow up aircraft
Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat says there are 111 passengers on board the plane.
Libyan plane hijack: What we know so far
A Libyan plane has landed in the Mediterranean island of Malta and there appear to be two hijackers on board, the Malta airport said on Friday.
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.
Earlier Friday, Malta's prime minister, Joseph Muscat, said in a tweet that there was a "potential hijack situation" involving an internal Libyan flight that was diverted to Malta and that emergency operations are underway at the airport.
Airport officials said the Afriqiyah Airways A320 flight has 118 passengers on board.
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