Man who tried Sochi plane hijack detained: report

Istanbul governor says passenger who tried to hijack plane to Sochi subdued, 'operation ended'

Passengers of private Turkish company Pegasus leave the plane at the Sabiha Gokcen Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, Feb. 7, 2014. An official says authorities have subdued a man who attempted to hijack a Turkish plane to Sochi, Russia, and that the other passengers have been evacuated. Huseyin Avni Mutlu, the Istanbul governor, says on Twitter that "the operation has ended." In another tweet Friday, he said all passengers were evacuated "without any problems."(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

A Ukrainian passenger on an Istanbul-bound flight claimed on Friday there was a bomb on board and tried to hijack the plane to Sochi, Russia, where the Winter Olympics are kicking off, an official said.

An F-16 fighter plane was scrambled as soon as the pilot signalled there was a hijacking attempt and escorted the plane safely to Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport, its original destination, according to NTV television.

Turkey’s state-run TRT television said authorities convinced the man to give himself up and he was taken into police custody, but there was no confirmation from the Transport Ministry.

Meanwhile, Istanbul governor has said the passenger who tried to hijack plane to Sochi has been subdued and the 'operation ended', as quoted by

The Associated Press .

There were 110 passengers on board the flight from Kharkiv, Ukraine, but it was not immediately clear if they had evacuated. Authorities were searching the plane.

“The man was made to believe the plane was heading to Sochi,” Soluk said. “We are hoping that the passengers are evacuated without even a nose-bleed.”

The Interfax news agency cited the Ukrainian Security Service, the country’s main security agency, as saying the passenger who tried to hijack the plane was in a state of severe alcohol intoxication.

The service said in its statement that there were no weapons or bombs on board, but did not say where it got that information.

Pegasus Airlines confirmed in a brief statement there was a “bomb threat” aboard their flight from Kharkiv.

The plane’s captain, Ilyas Karagulle, signalled that the crew was well, according to state-run TRT television.

The plane landed at about 6 p.m. Turkish time, just as the opening ceremony for the Olympics was about to begin. The news broke as athletes from nations around the world poured into the stadium.

With about 100,000 police, security agents and army troops flooding Sochi, Russia has pledged to ensure “the safest Olympics in history.” But terror fears fuelled by recent suicide bombings have left athletes, spectators and officials worldwide jittery about potential threats.

Security experts warn that Islamic militants in the Caucasus, who have threatened to derail the Winter Games that run from Feb. 7-23, could achieve their goal by choosing soft targets away from the Olympic sites or even outside Sochi.

Olympic organizers introduced blanket screening of all visitors, requiring them to share passport details to get a Winter Games spectator pass. Officials also cut access to vehicles lacking Sochi registration or a special pass, and guards were searching all train commuters.