hijacker

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Hijacker Wannabe Had a Toy Gun: Cops
Wannabe Hijacker's
Gun Wasn't Real

Wannabe Hijacker's Gun Wasn't Real

Mohammad Palash Ahmed was sporting a toy pistol when he was shot dead

(Newser) - A man who tried to hijack a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight on Sunday and demanded to speak to the prime minister of Bangladesh was shot dead by commandos after an emergency landing in Chittagong, and it's now being reported that the "weapon" he was seen with was just...

Family: Bin Laden Son Married Hijacker's Daughter

Couple might be in Afghanistan, half brother says

(Newser) - If Osama bin Laden wasn't dead, he would probably have been happy to give his blessing to the marriage of his youngest son. Relatives tell the Guardian that Hamza bin Laden has married the daughter of Mohamed Atta, the eldest of the 9/11 hijackers. Atta, an Egyptian citizen, flew...

Cops: Ukraine Hijacker Tried to Force Plane to Sochi

He is in custody after bomb threat

(Newser) - As the opening ceremony of the Olympics was unfolding this morning, a passenger aboard a Turkish plane tried to divert it to Sochi, reports CNN . The man, identified only as Ukrainian, announced that a bomb was on board and ordered that the plane fly to Russia, authorities say. He reportedly...

Planes Detained at JFK Over Hijack Call

American Airlines, Finnair flights searched by FBI

(Newser) - Two inbound flights were waylaid at JFK airport in New York today after an anonymous caller claimed a hijacker and explosives were waiting on board, CNN reports. The Finnair flight from Helsinki and American Airlines flight from San Francisco were moved to a remote area where federal authorities were waiting,...

2 Suspects Dead After Foiled China Hijacking

But Uighur rights group says it wasn't a hijacking at all

(Newser) - A pair of accused hijackers have died following a foiled attempt to take control of a plane in China's Xinjiang region, state media says. Six Uighur men were arrested Friday in the incident, in which suspects wielding explosives used a crutch to pummel the cockpit door. Four crew members...

'20th Hijacker' Sues for Gitmo Torture Tapes

Videos of sessions are 'sickening,' says lawyer

(Newser) - The Saudi national accused of being the "20th hijacker" on 9/11 is suing the government to release what his lawyers call "sickening" videos of his torture at Guantanamo Bay. Mohammed al-Qahtani was the victim of "torture and other profoundly cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment," involving marathon...

Fugitive in '68 Hijack Nabbed at JFK

After 41 years in Cuba, alleged hijacker could face life in prison

(Newser) - A longtime fugitive who allegedly hijacked a plane in 1968 and diverted it to Cuba was arrested yesterday at JFK Airport in New York and will be arraigned tomorrow. Luis Armando Pena Soltren, now 66, is accused of smuggling weapons inside a diaper bag and terrorizing dozens of passengers 41...

Bible-Toting Hijacker: 'Christ Is Coming Soon'

Acted on 'revelation,' with 'Father, Son and Holy Ghost' riding shotgun

(Newser) - The Bolivian man who commandeered a Mexican airliner today told authorities he was acting after a divine revelation, the AP reports, under the premise that today’s date—9/9/09—is the satanic number 666 upside down. Jose Flores, 44, told airline attendants that he and three others were taking control;...

Hijackers Threatened to Scuttle Russian Freighter

(Newser) - The hijackers of the Russian-crewed freighter Arctic Sea planned to destroy it if their ransom demand was not met, Reuters reports. “The crew members have already confirmed that the captors demanded a ransom and threatened to blow up the vessel,” says a Russian defense official. There was no...

White House Rips Sykes' 9/11-Limbaugh Joke

(Newser) - Press Secretary Robert Gibbs today distanced the administration from 9/11-related comments made by comedian Wanda Sykes at the White House Correspondents dinner, Politico reports. Some things “are better left for serious reflection,” Gibbs said. “There's no doubt 9/11 is part of that.” Sykes suggested that “...

Hijacker of Canadian Jet Surrenders
 Hijacker of Canadian Jet Surrenders 
UPDATED

Hijacker of Canadian Jet Surrenders

(Newser) - The hijacker of a Canadian jet demanding to fly from Jamaica to Cuba has freed the six crewmembers he was holding and surrendered, reports the BBC. The man, whom authorities described as "mentally challenged," appeared to check in normally last night, then forced his way aboard the CanJet...

What Remains of 9/11 Hijackers Is Unwanted

Work continues to ID fragments, but what to do with them?

(Newser) - More than seven years after the September 11 attacks, meticulous work continues to identify the charred remains of those killed that day—including the hijackers. Less than 24 pounds of flesh and bone fragments linked to the terrorists are stored in undisclosed locations in New York and Virginia, Newsweek reports....

Drunk 'Hijacker' Arrested After Making Bomb Threat

Man subdued by other passengers during flight from Turkey to Russia

(Newser) - A man claiming to have explosives was foiled in an attempt to hijack a Turkish Airlines plane today, the BBC reports. The man, who was drunk, handed an attendant a note saying he had a bomb, then tried to force his way to the cockpit, but was overpowered by passengers....

Cops Yank Terror Suspects off KLM Flight

Two arrested onboard at Cologne airport

(Newser) - German police commandos may have averted a terrorist attack early today when they grabbed two suspects off an Amsterdam-bound flight before the plane took off from Cologne airport, reports AP. The pair had been under observation for months and a suicide note was found in their apartment saying they wanted...

Sudanese Hijackers Surrender
 Sudanese Hijackers Surrender

Sudanese Hijackers Surrender

All passengers freed, 2 men arrested

(Newser) - The hijackers of a Sudanese flight from Darfur surrendered to authorities in Libya today after releasing all 95 passengers. The two men gave no motive, but asked for refugee status in France, Reuters reports. The pilot said the suspects are from the Sudanese Liberation Movement, a charge the group's leader...

'20th Hijacker' Tried Suicide at Gitmo

Detainee 'lost all hope' after learning of capital charges

(Newser) - A man accused of being al-Qaeda's 20th 9/11 hijacker tried to kill himself at Guantanamo Bay last month, Reuters reports. A lawyer for the Saudi said he cut his wrist open after learning that the Pentagon had filed capital charges against him. The charges were dropped last week without explanation...

Charges Dropped Against '20th Hijacker'

Case against other accused 9/11 planners will go forward

(Newser) - The US has dropped charges against Mohammed al-Qahtani, who allegedly planned to be the “20th hijacker” in the 9/11 attacks, Reuters reports. The US military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay rejected the charges against Qahtani “without prejudice,” meaning that the Saudi citizen may yet face prosecution. The charges...

Gun-Blasting Pilot Suspended
 Gun-Blasting Pilot Suspended 

Gun-Blasting Pilot Suspended

Can't carry a gun after he blows hole in fuselage during flight

(Newser) - A trigger-happy US Airways pilot whose gun accidentally discharged in the cockpit has been suspended from the federal program that permits pilots to pack heat, reports CNN. He's also been yanked from flight duty pending the results of an investigation by the FAA, the TSA, and US Air. The shocking...

36 Years Later, Hijacker's Fate Still Intrigues

DB Cooper and his $200K parachuted out of plane, into legend

(Newser) - The legend was born in 1971. A hijacker who said he had a bomb traded 36 plane passengers for $200,000 and passage to Mexico. The Boeing 727 took off from Sea-Tac Airport, and the man known as DB Cooper parachuted out the back and into history. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer...

Second Bin Laden Tape Surfaces
Second Bin Laden Tape Surfaces

Second Bin Laden Tape Surfaces

Hijacker reads will in front of blazing Trade Center on terror anniversary

(Newser) - A new videotape today from Osama Bin Laden on the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attack features one of the hijackers reading his will over an image of the burning World Trade Center, AP reports. The videotape hasn't been posted on web sites, but frames have been released by...

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