Libyan hijackers surrender in Malta

Valletta, Dec 23, 2016 (AFP) -Two men armed with grenades and a pistol kidnapped and diverted a Libyan plane to Malta on Friday, where they surrendered after releasing the 116 passengers and crew of the aircraft.

"The last members of the crew left the plane with the pirates," announced shortly after 3.30 pm the Prime Minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat, who informed on Twitter the whole operation.

"The air pirates surrendered, they were searched and placed in detention," Muscat wrote.

According to the Foreign Minister of the Libyan National Unity Government (GNA), Taher Siala, the two men are supporters of the former regime of Muammar Gaddafi and seek political asylum on the Mediterranean island.

They also want to announce the creation of a pro-Gaddafi political party.

However, during a press conference after the crisis ended, Muscat denied that the two men, "probably of Libyan nationality", sought asylum.

According to television footage, one of the two hijackers left the plane with Gaddafi's Libyan green flag.

The pilot of the plane, Ali Milad, contacted by the television channel Libya Channel, indicated that they were armed with grenades and a pistol.

The plane, an Airbus A320 from Afriqiyah Airwaysque, was on a domestic flight. He had taken off from Sabha airport (south) and was due to land in Tripoli, the capital of Libya, but diverted to Malta, a small Mediterranean island located 350 km north of Tripoli.

The negotiations, led by the head of the Maltese Army, allowed the gradual release of passengers.

A first group of 25 women and a baby were released shortly before 1400 hours, followed by other groups.

According to Muscat, there were 28 women, one baby and 82 men, plus seven crew members.

Quiet release According to an AFP correspondent on the spot, passengers got off very quietly from the plane, without running or screaming. The airport, which closed, began to resume traffic and several flights were able to land.

On the runway at Luqa International Airport in Malta, the aircraft was quickly isolated. Military vehicles positioned themselves quickly and the plane was surrounded by soldiers.

The airport remained closed for several hours. Several flights, mainly from London, Brussels and Paris, were scheduled for Friday.

Libya has been plunged into chaos since the fall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and several militias vie for control of the territory, despite the establishment of a national unity government (GNA), backed by the international community.

The head of this government, Fayez al-Sarraj, officially announced on Saturday the release of Sirte, a stronghold of the extremist Islamic State (EI) group. The EI had taken Muammar Gaddafi's hometown in June 2015 and had since fiercely defended his fortress, using urban guerrilla tactics, human shields, and land mines.

The loss of Sirte was a major setback for the EI, but there are still extremists in Libya, as evidenced by a suicide attack in Benghazi last Sunday, and perhaps such kidnapping in Malta.

The GNA hopes to emerge strengthened from the battle of Sirte as it struggles to establish its authority in a country ravaged by conflict.