Seized Mauritanian plane in Canaries, hijacker held

Las Palmas, Spain, Feb 16: An Air Mauritania Boeing 737 passenger plane was hijacked on an internal flight today and flew to the Spanish Canary Islands where the hijacker was arrested, Spanish officials and media said.

Spanish emergency services said several people were injured by gunfire in the hijacking, but Jose Segura, a government representative in the Canary Islands, told RNE national radio he couldn't confirm or deny talk of shots.

He said one woman on the plane was suffering from shock.

''Fortunately the hijacking incident has ended favourably,'' Segura said. He said the hijacker gave himself up.

The plane, which was diverted while on its way to the northern Mauritanian port of Nouadhibou, had stopped for fuel in the Western Sahara after being seized by one or more hijackers who demanded to fly to France, Mauritanian officials said.

It then flew on to Las Palmas in the Spanish Canary Islands.

''There was at least one armed person on board. We don't know his identity,'' said the head of the Mauritanian state news agency, Moussa Hamed.

Officials said there were 71 passengers and eight crew on board. The plane had been originally scheduled to fly on from Nouadhibou to the Spanish Canary Islands.

Reuters