Libyan Al-Fateh Hijacks Plane in Malta on Pan Am Flight 103 Bombing Anniversary Lockerbie

One day after the anniversity of the Lockerbie bombing we have a passenger jet hijacking.

Pan Am Flight 103 was a regularly scheduled Pan Am transatlantic flight from Frankfurt to Detroit via London and New York. On 21 December 1988, N739PA, the aircraft operating the transatlantic leg of the route, was destroyed by a bomb, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew, in what became known as the Lockerbie bombing. Large sections of the aircraft crashed onto residential areas of Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 11 more people on the ground.

The bombers were Libyan.

In 2003, Gaddafi accepted responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and paid compensation to the families of the victims, although he maintained that he had never given the order for the attack

Today Libyan jihadis boarded a plane and took 118 passengers hostage.

MALTA AIRPORT HIJACK: Attackers SURRENDER after hostages freed

HIJACKERS on board a plane that landed in Malta have surrendered after agreeing to let the 118 passengers – including a baby and a Libyan MP – on board free after a tense two-hour stand off.

By Vickiie Oliphant and Katie Mansfield, December 23, 2016:

A group of 25 women and children were the first to be released to safety, but all 118 people one baord have now been released – before the hijackers emerged waving the Libyan flag that was used in the Colonel Gaddafi era at the top of the staircase.

The two men also agreed to give up their weapons, putting an end to the dramatic hostage takeover that saw the airport put on lockdown after ahijacker threatened to blow up the jet with a hand grenade.

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat confirmed the two men had surrendered and were in custody after hijacking the jet over Libya.

Television pictures showed two men being led from the aircraft in handcuffs.

Mr Muscat said the hijackers were armed with a hand grenade and gun when searched by the authorities.

A second gun was found on board. Maltese officials continue to search the plane.

A group of 25 women and children were the first to be released to safety, but all 118 people one baord have now been released – before the hijackers emerged waving the Libyan flag that was used in the Colonel Gaddafi era at the top of the staircase.

The two men also agreed to give up their weapons, putting an end to the dramatic hostage takeover that saw the airport put on lockdown after ahijacker threatened to blow up the jet with a hand grenade.

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat confirmed the two men had surrendered and were in custody after hijacking the jet over Libya.

Television pictures showed two men being led from the aircraft in handcuffs.

Mr Muscat said the hijackers were armed with a hand grenade and gun when searched by the authorities.

A second gun was found on board. Maltese officials continue to search the plane.

Al-Fateh is the name that Gaddafi gave to September, the month he staged a coup in 1969, and the word came to signify his coming to power.

Images appeared to show a hijacker stepping out of the plane with a green flag similar to those used by Gaddafi supporters.

Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was killed in an uprising in 2011, and the country has been racked by factional violence since.

The plane, flight number 8U209, left Sabha in south-west Libya for Tripoli at 10.10am.

It was scheduled to arrive at 11.20am, but was instead diverted to Malta International Airport, where it landed at 11:32am.

An airline official has also confirmed the jet headed for Malta, before turning back towards Tripoli, and then flew on to Malta.

Early reports claim the man told crew they were  “pro-Gaddafi” and would be willing to let all 111 passengers leave the Airbus A320 but not its seven crew if his demands were met.

Buses were driven onto the tarmac at Malta International Airport to carry away 109 passengers, as well as some of the crew. Television footage showed no signs of struggle or alarm.

After passengers had left the plane, a man briefly appeared at the top of the steps with a plain green flag resembling that of Gaddafi’s now-defunct state.

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat tweeted: “Informed of potential hijack situation of a Libya internal flight diverted to Malta. Security and emergency operations standing by -JM”.

In a brief statement, the Maltese government said that preliminary information indicates that there was a hijack on board.

Mr Muscat has also summoned the National Security Committee meeting to convene in Castille.

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The plane left Sabha in south-west Libya for Tripoli at 10am

Soldiers have surrounded the packed plane on the tarmac It was also revealed the pair, who form part of a pro-Gaddafi group called al-Fateh al-Gadida, were carrying hand grenades.But it was not clear what their demands are, according to Hadi al-Saghir, a Libyan member of parliament who spoke to a colleague on board the flight.

Abdusalem Mrabit, a fellow member of Libya’s House of Representatives, had told him that the two hijackers were in their mid 20s and were from the Tebu, an ethnic group present in southern Libya from where the plane departed.

However it has also been claimed they demanded the creation of a pro-Gaddafi party – along with requesting political asylum in Malta.