Libyan plane hijackers surrender, all passengers freed

All passengers on board an Afriqiyah Airways flight which has been hijacked from Libya and diverted to Malta where it landed earlier today, have been freed. The hijackers, reportedly, are now negotiating for asylum in Malta.

Media reports quoting Malta Prime Minister on Twitter are saying that the two hijackers have surrendered and have been taken into custody.The two hijackers had earlier threatened to blow up the Airbus A320 with grenades.

Maltese media reported that the hijacked plane had been on a domestic Libyan flight operated by Afriqiyah Airways. The aircraft had been



flying from Sebha in southwest Libya to Tripoli and had 111 passengers, including an infant, and seven crew members.The government of Malta said Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had discussed the hijack with Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj by phone, and a negotiating team had been formed and was at the airport. 

Britain offered Malta help with dealing with the incident. Media reports quoting Malta government sources have reported that the two hijackers were demanding asylum in Malta. The Malta airport authority said all emergency teams had been dispatched to the site.