Hijacked Libyan Plane with 118 On Board Lands In Malta, Hijackers Threaten To Detonate Explosives..

An Afriqiyah Airways domestic flight in Libya was hijacked Friday morning and forced to land in Malta, with the hijackers reportedly threatening to blow the plane up, according to Maltese media.

The Reuters news agency cited Malta’s media as reporting the Airbus A320 belonging to Libya’s national flag carrier had 118 people on board.

Libya’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat tweeted that the plane was carrying 111 passengers, including 28 women and one infant.The TV Malta network reported that two hijackers on board the aircraft were threatening to detonate explosives. The Times of Malta said there was one hijacker, claiming to be in possession of a hand grenade.The Malta airport authority said only that all emergency teams had been dispatched to the site of what it called an “unlawful interference” on the airport tarmac.

Malta’s prime minister tweeted that he had been informed of the reported hijacking, but there was no immediate confirmation from Maltese or Libyan officials about the unscheduled landing on the Mediterranean island.