Israeli plane hijacker ‘dreamed of September 11 attack’
The suspect, a 23-year-old Israeli Arab named Tawfiq Fukra, was being questioned by Turkish anti-terrorism police in Istanbul after security guards aboard the El Al flight foiled the hijack attempt late Sunday night.
The would-be hijacker attacked an air hostess and tried to force his way into the cockpit of the Boeing 737 with a pocket knife but was swiftly overpowered by El Al guards, Israeli officials said.
The Turkish police officer said the man had “dreamed of an attack like September 11 against the United States,” when Islamist extremists hijacked airliners and slammed them into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon.
He was not known to have links with any terrorist organisations and acted “simply to make the voice of the Palestinian people heard,” the police officer said.
The suspect, who was grilled for several hours after undergoing a medical examination, was due to appear in court yesterday.
The plane, on a scheduled flight from Tel Aviv to Istanbul with 170 passengers on board, alerted air traffic controllers of the hijack attempt on its approach for landing to Istanbul's Ataturk international airport.
The incident lasted only a couple of minutes. The plane landed at about 9:50pm (1950 Irish time) without incident and the suspect was taken into custody.
An Istanbul airport official said the suspect was “overpowered on board” and immediately turned over to airport police on arrival.
Passengers were able to leave the airport only four hours later after the plane was searched and luggage was checked.
Turkish police said Fukra carried out the hijack attempt "to protest against Israel," Anatolia news agency said.
The young man picked the flight to Istanbul because it was "a cheap flight," police added.
Photographs taken at the airport showed him wearing light trousers and an open-necked shirt, his hands handcuffed, being escorted away by police.
The young man was said to be a bachelor and a student, who had recently completed his studies and who said he was going to Istanbul for a holiday.
An Israeli official in Turkey said the man had "walked up to the air hostess asking for a glass of water" and that the hostess "saw he had a knife in his hand".
She immediately pushed him away and rushed to the back of the plane.
"Security officials immediately intervened and the man was down on the floor in a matter of seconds," the official said.
A passenger on board the flight, Viviane Gilman, told Israeli television the attempted hijacking occurred about 15 minutes before landing.
"A young man attacked one of the flight attendants at the front of the plane in business class. He then headed towards the cockpit, armed with a knife. Security agents then jumped on him and pushed him to the ground," Gilman said.
"The captain then told us: 'We have a problem, stay calm,'" and instructed passengers not to leave the aircraft after landing, Gilman said.
Another passenger, Menahem Aaroni, told AFP in Istanbul the incident had lasted only "a few seconds".
"When the alarm rang, some people panicked, but it all lasted a few seconds," he said.
Fellow passenger Menahem Binet praised the crew for its efficient cool response. "The crew was very calm, very good. There was very little panic," he said.
"We can say that God is great, we are all alive," another passenger, Nhama Shelnzon, said.
El Al is known as one of the world's most secure airlines, flying with guards on board after a series of hijackings. None of El-Al's planes have been hijacked in 20 years.
Cockpits are protected by two doors which remain closed throughout flights, while security guards, in civilian clothes, often mix with passengers.
Security measures for flights out of Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport are especially tight with passengers regularly quizzed as to reasons for their travelling.
Istanbul is home to a large Jewish community and Turkey is a prime destination for Israeli tourists.
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