Summary of "Real-Time" EmergencyNet News Reports Concerning the Hijacking of Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 115, From Jeddah to London on 14 Oct 2000

Excerpt from: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-Sunday, October 15, 2000-Vol. 6, No. 290

IRAQ

Hijacking Ends Peacefully

Iraqi state television reported that hijackers who commandeered a Saudi Arabian jetliner and took it to Baghdad were arrested late Saturday, ending a daylong ordeal for more than 100 people on board. The Boeing 777 was on its way from Saudi Arabia to London when it was seized over the Mediterranean Sea and forced to fly around the Mideast for several hours before landing.

The nearly eight-hour long crisis ended at 23:20 hours local time after high-ranking government officials negotiated with the two Saudi hijackers, who then surrendered peacefully. The 103 passengers and crew members were reported safe. Officials said they were to spend the night at a Baghdad hotel and were expected to leave Iraq on Sunday.

No other details were immediately available on how the hijacking ended. The two hijackers were later allowed to speak briefly with reporters. They praised Iraqi authorities and criticized their own government. One of the hijackers said: "We carried out the operation because we believe in the principles of justice and equality." The other said the Saudi people were against the presence of U.S. troops in their territory.

Speaking before the release, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said the hijackers had said they seized the plane because they were upset over an investigation into the Saudi human rights situation that was too favorable to the government.

The hijackers also said they ordered the plane to fly to Baghdad because Iraq rejects "U.S. hegemony." It wasn't immediately clear if the hijackers were armed or what other means they used to seize control of the aircraft. A hijacker had at one point threatened to blow up the plane unless it was allowed to fly to Baghdad.

Word of the hijacking first emerged in Cairo. Egyptian civil aviation officials said the pilot radioed them at 1515 hours local time to say the plane had been commandeered and the hijackers were insisting that it fly to Damascus, the Syrian capital. But the plane was denied permission to land as it neared that airport.

The hijackers then asked to fly through Syrian airspace to Iraq. Syria initially refused but later allowed the plane to pass. After the plane landed in Baghdad, airport security was tight with guards turning away journalists. A few hours later, the hijacking was over.

Instant - 21:00CDT - 14 Oct 2000

Hijacking Reported To Be Over; Hijackers Said to be in Custody 

Baghdad, Iraq (EmergencyNet News) -- According to Iraqi state television, at least two hijackers who had taken over Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 115 were arrested late on Saturday. The details of the arrest were not immediately released, but an Iraqi military spokesman said that the hijackers were in custody and all of the passengers were reported to be safe. "All [of the passengers] are in good health,'' an airline spokesman told the Reuters News service.

Iraq's Communications and Transport Minister Ahmed Murtada Ahmed Khalil reportedly visited the passengers at Baghdad's Rashid Hotel, where they were taken immediately after being evacuated from the plane. An Iraqi official assured them Iraq would guarantee their safety and that they would be "accorded genuine Arab hospitality...till they return with their plane to their families." 

The fate of the hijackers is not presently known, but at least two of them are believed to be Saudi citizens. In a statement by the hijackers, they indicated that they hijacked the plane "to demand justice and equality in Saudi Arabia" and "to call for an inquiry into alleged corruption and human rights abuses" in the kingdom. The hijackers also reported denounced "the presence of the US and British armies" in Saudi Arabia, according to the Agence France-Presse (AFP) . It is also believed that the hijackers have requested asylum in Iraq.

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Instant -14:00CDT/19:00GMT- 14 Oct 2000

Hijacked Plane Surrounded by Iraqi Security Services

Baghdad, Iraq (EmergencyNet News) -- According to witnesses on the ground in Iraq, Saudi Flight 115 is surrounded by large numbers of heavily armed Iraqi troops and other security personnel. A strict cordon has reportedly been established around the airport and only government personnel are being allowed into the scene. 

The Iraqi government has not, so far, released any official statements concerning the hostages or the hijacker. It is not known if any demands have been made by the perpetrator. The identity and motives of the hijacker continue to remain a mystery at the time of this report.   

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Instant -13:00CDT/18:00GMT- 14 Oct 2000

Hijacked Plane Now Enroute To/In Baghdad??

The BBC is now (16:53 GMT 17:53 UK) reporting that a hijacker (allegedly armed with a TNT device) who has seized control of a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight 115, bound from Jeddah to London, has now ordered it to fly to the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Nothing is known at this time about the hijacker's identity or motives. 

The BBC says that the ill-fated plane circled Damascus and then departed for Iraq, although little or no information is being officially confirmed by the Syrian, Saudi, or Iraqi government sources. A Reuters reporter said Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 115 landed at the Saddam International Airport at about 12:45EDT.

A so-far unconfirmed report says that a member of the Saudi royal family is believed to be on the plane, along with a large number of British citizens. ERRI counter-terrorist analysts, who are monitoring the hijacking event very closely, said that there are presently far more questions than answers concerning the entire incident. 

***** 

Instant -11:00CDT - 14 Oct 2000

Saudi Plane Reported Hijacked...

Cairo, Egypt (EmergencyNet News) -- According to Mid-East sources, a Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 777-200, Flight 115, has been hijacked on a scheduled flight from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to London, England. The take-over reportedly occurred in Egyptian airspace. The incident began at about 14:55 local time (12:55 GMT).

Little is presently known about the hijacker(s) at this time, except that they have told air traffic controllers that they have some sort of explosive device and that they want to go to Damascus, Syria. Other fragmentary reports say that Syrian airport authorities have denied the plane permission to land there, although the Agence France-Presse has reported that the plane is on the ground in Damascus. 

EmergencyNet News is monitoring events surrounding the hijacking and will provide additional details if/when they become available...

© EmergencyNet News Service, 2000. All rights reserved, but may be redistributed to bona-fide law enforcement, emergency service, military, and government agencies. Other usage without permission is prohibited.

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