Man Overpowered as He Tries to Hijack Chinese Plane

A man was overpowered by the crew of a China Southern Airlines plane Thursday after trying to hijack the aircraft as it flew a Chinese domestic route from Shanghai to Guangzhou, an airport official said.

The plane, which had left Shanghai at 2:20 p.m. (0620 GMT) with around 100 passengers on board, landed without any difficulty two hours later, a police officer said.

More than 200 police officers had been deployed at Guangzhou airport to arrest the hijacker, the policeman, who requested anonymity, said.

He explained that the man had been easily overpowered by the crew after having announced his intention to hijack the plane. The police officer would not comment on whether the man was armed or on his motivation.

"We are continuing our inquiry into the affair," he said.

The hijiack incidents have decreased considerably since, as a result, security measures had been stepped up at the airport.





People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/