Hijack attempt on Russian plane foiled - Czech police

PRAGUE, Dec 28 (Reuters) A Russian passenger plane bound for Geneva was hijacked today but it made an emergency landing in Prague and the hijacker was ''pacified'', a Czech police spokesman said.

''According to the latest information, the culprit was foiled on board the plane, meaning he was pacified, not in the sense of any damage to ... health,'' spokesman Pavel Hantak said.

The plane landed and was directed to taxi to an outer area of the airport, where it was surrounded by emergency vehicles, officials said.

The Airbus A-320 on the Moscow-Geneva route made the unplanned landing in Prague after the pilot declared an emergency on board.

Aeroflot flights suffered a series of hijackings in the early 1990s.

REUTERS PDM PM1642