Hijack attempt foiled by crew

A man who tried to hijack an Air Seychelles plane flying from the Indian city of Bombay to the Maldives was overpowered by the cabin crew, officials said.

“One person tried to enter the cockpit with a knife and was overpowered by the crew. Police have apprehended one person,” said A Shaheed, foreign secretary at Maldivian Embassy in Colombo.

The man approached the plane’s crew with the knife hidden behind his back and tried to talk to them, the BBC reported from Male.

A passenger raised the alarm when he saw the concealed weapon, it said.

The BBC quoted Maldives authorities as saying the man was an Indian construction worker.

The Boeing 737-300 was carrying around 200 people, mostly Indian nationals.

Air Seychelles’ office in Bombay declined to comment and Indian civil aviation authorities said they were waiting for details from the Maldives.

Mahmood Razi, the head of civil aviation in the Maldives, said he had no idea what the man’s motive might have been. He said all he knew is that he was carrying an Indian passport.

He added that the injured crew member was not seriously hurt.