Passengers overpowered an armed man who hijacked a Mauritanian plane today when he was knocked off his feet during a hard landing, a source close to the Mauritanian presidency said.
The Air Mauritania Boeing 737 was on an internal flight in Mauritania when the hijacker, armed with pistols, demanded to be flown to France, officials said.
The pilot landed in Spain's Canary Islands instead, where Spanish police arrested the hijacker.
"When the pilot landed he deliberately braked very hard. The man fell to the ground and was jumped on by passengers. He fired two bullets but there are no serious injuries," the Mauritanian source told Reuters.
If that's the case - well done to pilot and passengers!