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Iraqi who attempted to hijack Jordanian plane acted alone |
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October 2, 2000
AMMAN (AP) - An Iraqi who made a halfhearted attempt to hijack a Jordanian plane last week claiming that terrorists were behind the effort had apparently acted alone, officials said Sunday. Investigations under way since Thursday's foiled attempt showed that Mohammad Yassin al-Humeidi, 38, "might have made up the story to seek asylum in Jordan," a government official told The Associated Press. He said investigators have failed to establish that al-Humeidi was really forced by terrorists to hijack the Amman-bound Royal Jordanian flight from San`a, Yemen. "During interrogation, al-Humeidi constantly changed his confession and failed to identify the alleged terrorists whom he claims had hired him," the official said on customary condition of anonymity. "But he insisted on asylum in Jordan," the official added. Al-Humeidi surrendered to aircraft security shortly after he sent a note to the captain asking for protection from unidentified terrorists he claimed had assigned him to hijack the plane and kill the pilot. He said in the note that he changed his mind because he "didn't want to harm Jordan and its reputation." He also claimed he had hand grenades aboard the flight, but bomb experts later determined they were fake. The Airbus A-310 with 119 passengers on board landed safely in Amman. Security officials said al-Humeidi had worked for several months in Jordan until he was asked to leave last month because he violated his residency permit by overstaying and working in the kingdom. He returned to Iraq and later left for Yemen, the officials added, insisting on anonymity. Thursday's hijack attempt was the third involving Jordan in nearly three months. On July 5, security guards shot and killed a Syrian man who tossed a grenade in a Royal Jordanian plane flying to Syria, wounding several people as he attempted to divert the plane to Germany. On Sept. 14, an Iraqi armed with a knife forced a Qatar Airways plane bound for Amman to land in Saudi Arabia. He surrendered to Saudi police, saying he was afraid Jordan would hand him over to Iraq. |