Saudi airliner lands safely

A Saudi passenger wielding a gun tried to hijack a Saudi Arabian Airlines jet today, but security forces on board arrested him.

The Airbus 300 returned to Khartoum and all passengers and crew were safe, said Major General Sayyid al-Husseini, a spokesman for Sudan’s Interior Ministry.

Saudi airlines flight 450 left for Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, at 10:15 am (09.15am Irish time) and the man tried to take over the plane 22 minutes after take-off, the airline said.

The plane was carrying 185 passengers and 19 crew.

After the plane returned to Khartoum, authorities searched it for explosives but found nothing, the statement from al-Husseini said.

Neither the airline nor Husseini identified the man involved, saying only that he was a Saudi citizen.

The airline said he was handed over to Sudanese authorities, and Husseini said his background was being investigated.

No possible motive for the hijack attempt was mentioned in either statement.

Another Middle East newsagency reported there were in fact three hijackers involved, but this report was not confirmed.

The plane was being readied to resume its flight to King Abdul Aziz Airport in Jiddah, the airline said.