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2nd LD: Hijackers releasing passengers at Malta airport

Xinhua, December 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

A total of 109 passengers have been released from a hijacked Libyan plane, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said Friday on Twitter.

The plane has 111 passengers on board -- 82 males, 28 females and one infant. It also has seven crew members.

The Libyan plane, flying a domestic route in Libya, was hijacked and landed at Malta International Airport at 11:32 a.m. local time.

The Afriqiyah Airways flight had departed the southern Libyan city of Sebha in the morning, originally on its way to the Libyan capital Tripoli.

Muscat also spoke to Libyan counterpart Faez al Serraj over the hijacking, according to Malta government spokesman Kurt Farrugia.

There were two hijackers on board. Local media said the hijackers appeared to be supporters of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and armed with hand-grenades.

At this point, it is not known what hijackers' requests are.

Citing Arab sources, Maltese national TV station TVM reported that the two hijackers, armed with explosive devices, were from southern Libya.

According to Maltese media, one of the passengers was member of the Libyan Parliament. Endit