4 Saudis, 1 Ethiopian Hijack Saudi Plane to IraqFour Saudis and one Ethiopian hijacked the Saudi Arabia Airlines Flight 115 plane, which landed at Saddam International Airport in Baghdad Saturday evening, the Iraqi satellite TV reported.The hijackers are negotiating with the Iraqi government right now, the report said, adding that some of them are trying to seek asylum in Iraq, which they deem as an "anti-imperialist country." The Boeing 777 plane touched down at the airport at 19:50 (1650 GMT) under heavy security. A statement released by the Iraqi Ministry of Culture and Information said that Iraqi government will exert its utmost efforts to ensure the safety of the passengers. Iraqi health ministry officials, heavily armed soldiers, fire trucks and ambulances were present at the airport when the plane landed. The plane, carrying 95 passengers and 16 crew, was hijacked on its way to London. It had taken off from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Relations between Iraq and Saudi Arabia have remained cold since the 1991 Gulf War, triggered by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Saudi Arabia joined the United Nations-sanctioned allied army that drove Iraq out of Kuwait. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are also offering their air bases to the United States and Britain, which are imposing and monitoring the southern no-fly zone in Iraq. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has repeatedly called for the overthrow of the Saudi regime. Bilateral relations have further worsened recently after Saddam condemned Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as "traitors who sold their souls" in an address on August 8, the 12th anniversary of the ending of the Iraq-Iran war. Iraq has accused them of being "full culprits" for allowing the U.S. and British warplanes to use their bases to attack Iraq. |
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