Hijacker Tries to Divert Plane to Sochi

A passenger aboard a commercial airline flight from Ukraine to Turkey tried to hijack it to Sochi, Russia, on Friday but the plane landed safely in Istanbul and the hijacker was taken into custody.

The hijacker, identified as a Ukraine national claimed he had a bomb onboard. The plane was carrying 110 passengers and the crew was able to persuade the hijacker that they should land at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport. Upon landing, special security forces which had been alerted to the situation entered the aircraft and detained him. According to reports, he was taken to the Istanbul Security Headquarters.

The Russian authorities have imposed intense security on the Winter Olympics because of the threat of terrorist attacks on the games, which began on Thursday and last through Feb. 23.