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Attempted hijacking on Israeli airliner foiled
November 17, 2002 Posted: 9:56 PM EST (0256 GMT)
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The hijacking suspect is escorted by Turkish officials Sunday.
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Security officers aboard a flight from Tel Aviv, Israel to Istanbul, Turkey, allegedly prevented a man from hijacking the plane on Sunday. Israel's national El Al airline says the passenger pulled out a small knife and tried to break into the plane's cockpit. Authorities on board the Boeing 757-200 overpowered the man, and he was arrested when the plane landed safely in Istanbul.
The suspect was identified as an Israeli Arab named Tevfik Fukra. An Israeli passenger said that the suspect had run towards the pilot's cabin, attacked a stewardess, and tried to enter the plane's cockpit. Reuters news agency reported that security guards threw him to the floor with his legs spread and his face down, and that the flight attendents helped calm down the passengers during the incident.
El Al is considered the most secure airline in the world, and it carries about three million passengers each year. At least two armed, undercover air marshals are on every El Al flight, and all of the airline's pilots are veterans of the Israeli air force. Pilots are trained in handling weapons and in hand-to-hand combat, but they do not carry guns in the cockpit.
In addition to having in-flight security, El Al planes on the ground are heavily guarded at all times, even during cleaning and maintenance. Passengers are extensively interviewed by trained security officials, and if authorities have any doubts about a passenger, he or she will not be allowed to board a flight.
The system is not foolproof, however, as the 170 people on board found out Sunday.
Early Monday, the suspect was in custody in Turkey, where authorities questioned him before handing him over to Israel. It was not clear how the man may have managed to bring the small knife aboard the plane.
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