Until they exited the plane, none of the 142 passengers on a domestic flight to Moscow today realized that a hijacker with a fake bomb had threatened to blow them up. Their cue? A squad of commandos surrounding the plane. Officials said a lone hijacker had made himself known to a crew member about 90 minutes after the eight-hour flight left the Far Eastern city of Magadan. Authorities said the man demanded US$10 million and safe passage abroad. Although ransom money had been brought to the airport, the hijacker was tricked into leaving the plane to negotiate and was seized within the hour.
Russian Hijack
Until they exited the plane, none of the 142 passengers on a domestic flight to Moscow today realized that a hijacker with a fake bomb had threatened to blow them up. Their cue? A squad of commandos surrounding the plane. Officials said a lone hijacker had made himself known to a crew member about 90 minutes after the eight-hour flight left the Far Eastern city of Magadan. Authorities said the man demanded US$10 million and safe passage abroad. Although ransom money had been brought to the airport, the hijacker was tricked into leaving the plane to negotiate and was seized within the hour.
