Turkish plane hijacked, six hostages held

ANKARA, Aug 18 (Reuters) A Turkish passenger plane heading for Istanbul from northern Cyprus was hijacked today and forced to land in Turkey where most of the 136 passengers were freed but six hostages left behind, the airline said.

The pilots had left the plane, the Transport Ministry said, and private broadcaster CNN Turk reported that negotiations had hit a sticking point as the hijackers were demanding a pilot back on the plane.

Atlas Jet CEO Tuncay Doganer said four passengers and two crew members were still on the plane after it was forced to land in Antalya on the south coast, as it did not have enough fuel to go to Iran as the hijackers wanted.

Doganer told private broadcaster NTV that the other passengers were either freed by the hijackers or had escaped through the emergency exits.

TV footage showed passengers running from the plane's side and back doors. NTV quoted one witness as saying the hijackers had said they were members of al Qaeda and another as saying they spoke Arabic and wanted to go to Syria. Some witnesses said there was a bomb.

The plane, which was flying from Ercan airport in Turkish-backed northern Cyprus to Istanbul when it was hijacked.

Cyprus, a major tourist destination, is divided between the internationally recognised government in the south and an enclave in the north recognised only by Ankara.

Plane hijacks and bomb threats are not uncommon in Turkey, where a number of radical groups ranging from Kurdish separatists to far-left militants operate. In the last year or so several incidents have been resolved without any passengers being harmed.

REUTERS SKB KP1431