Earlier on Friday, a Libyan airplane carrying 118 people was hijacked and diverted to Malta. After a charged standoff with military men on the airport’s tarmac, 111 passengers were freed, however, the hijackers remained on board with some crew members still held hostage.
Afterwards, the hijackers claimed to be men loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the dictator and former Prime Minister of Libya and they demanded for the creation of a pro-Gadaffi party. One of them was seen as he emerged from the plane waving a Libyan flag used in the era of Gaddafi. It is also believed that they might want the release of Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islaml Gaddafi, from prison.
At the moment the rest of the hostages have been freed. Both hijackers have surrendered, as revealed by Joseph Muscat, the Prime Minister of Malta and have been led away in handcuffs.
