U.S. envoy escapes Yemen hijack

DJIBOUTI (Reuters) -- A man claiming to be an Iraqi supporter of President Saddam Hussein tried on Tuesday to hijack a domestic flight carrying 91 passengers including the U.S. ambassador to Yemen, witnesses said.

Reuters correspondent Mohammed Sudam, who was on the flight, said the pilot had managed to land the plane in Djibouti, where most of the passengers, including envoy Barbara Bodine, disembarked through the emergency exit.

The hijacker, who had demanded that the plane, flying to the city of Taiz in Yemen, be flown to Baghdad, has been arrested.

"He said he was an Iraqi supporter of Saddam and threatened to blow up a suitcase full of explosives," Sudam said.

It was not clear why the hijacker had agreed to allow the plane to fly to Djibouti.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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