The hijacker forced the aeroplane, which was carrying 210 passengers, to land early on Friday and was later arrested by special forces.

Reuters reported Abdel Hafiz Abdel-Rahim, a civil aviation authority official, as saying: "The hijacker burst into the pilot's cabin about one and a half hours from landing and told the captain he wanted to meet the British ambassador, then he asked to meet the American ambassador and the media."

"Snipers dressed as journalists then took him into custody," he said.

The aeroplane began its journey in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

Abdel-Rahim said the hijacker identified himself as Haloub Saeed, but authorities were trying to confirm this.

 

Güncelleme Tarihi: 20 Eylül 2018, 18:16