747FOCAL
26th Jul 2004, 14:01
Man attempts to hijack Air China plane
Agence France-Presse 07/26/04
Agence France-Presse (Copyright 2004)
BEIJING (AFP) -- A man with a history of mental illness attempted to hijack an Air China plane after it took off from Beijing Monday, demanding to be flown to South Korea or he would spray passengers with sulfuric acid.
"Fifty minutes after take off a young man ... claimed that he wanted to hijack the plane and fly to South Korea," the Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement.
"To ensure the safety of the airplane the plane made an emergency landing at Zhengzhou at 9:50 am (0150 GMT). The police took the man off the plane."
According to the Xinhua news agency, the man, Yang Jingsong, 32, claimed he was carrying sulfuric acid and threatened to douse passengers with the liquid if his demands were not met.
He made the threats as he walked down the aisle toward the forward compartment, the agency said.
The CAAC said that after searching the man and the plane when it landed in Zhengzhou no "dangerous items" were found.
The Boeing 737-300, CA 1343, was flying from the capital to Changsha in Hunan province.
While no explanation was given on how Yang was restrained or calmed down, Xinhua said the crew managed to convince him that the plane had to land in Zhengzhou in central Henan province because of dangerous weather conditions.
It later continued its journey after Yang was arrested.
"After checks it was found the man has a history of mental illness," said the CAAC, without elaborating. Xinhua said Yang worked as a clerk in the library at Xiangtin University in Hunan province.
An official at Zhengzhou airport added: "The reason and the nature of this issue are still trying to be understood, but everything is now okay and safe."
China has witnessed a number of hijack attempts in recent years, most recently in February last year when a man poured fuel hidden in a drinks can on the cabin aisle of an Air China fight from Beijing to Fuzhou city in the southeast.
The man demanded to be taken to Taiwan.
He managed to set seats on fire before being subdued by security personnel onboard and the plane landed safely with its 149 passengers at Fuzhou airport.
Not all in-flight sabotage attempts have had happy endings.
In May 2002, a cancer patient deliberately started a fire on a passenger plane in an apparent suicide attempt so his family could cash in on the flight insurance he purchased before boarding.
As a result, the plane plunged into the ocean minutes before it was scheduled to land in Dalian city in the northeast, killing 103 passengers and nine crew members.
Earlier this year, aviation officials said China was planning to set up a dedicated 2,000-member air marshal force, first considered in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
They were scheduled to be on aircraft by the middle of the year, but whether this has actually happened remains unclear.
Agence France-Presse 07/26/04
Agence France-Presse (Copyright 2004)
BEIJING (AFP) -- A man with a history of mental illness attempted to hijack an Air China plane after it took off from Beijing Monday, demanding to be flown to South Korea or he would spray passengers with sulfuric acid.
"Fifty minutes after take off a young man ... claimed that he wanted to hijack the plane and fly to South Korea," the Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement.
"To ensure the safety of the airplane the plane made an emergency landing at Zhengzhou at 9:50 am (0150 GMT). The police took the man off the plane."
According to the Xinhua news agency, the man, Yang Jingsong, 32, claimed he was carrying sulfuric acid and threatened to douse passengers with the liquid if his demands were not met.
He made the threats as he walked down the aisle toward the forward compartment, the agency said.
The CAAC said that after searching the man and the plane when it landed in Zhengzhou no "dangerous items" were found.
The Boeing 737-300, CA 1343, was flying from the capital to Changsha in Hunan province.
While no explanation was given on how Yang was restrained or calmed down, Xinhua said the crew managed to convince him that the plane had to land in Zhengzhou in central Henan province because of dangerous weather conditions.
It later continued its journey after Yang was arrested.
"After checks it was found the man has a history of mental illness," said the CAAC, without elaborating. Xinhua said Yang worked as a clerk in the library at Xiangtin University in Hunan province.
An official at Zhengzhou airport added: "The reason and the nature of this issue are still trying to be understood, but everything is now okay and safe."
China has witnessed a number of hijack attempts in recent years, most recently in February last year when a man poured fuel hidden in a drinks can on the cabin aisle of an Air China fight from Beijing to Fuzhou city in the southeast.
The man demanded to be taken to Taiwan.
He managed to set seats on fire before being subdued by security personnel onboard and the plane landed safely with its 149 passengers at Fuzhou airport.
Not all in-flight sabotage attempts have had happy endings.
In May 2002, a cancer patient deliberately started a fire on a passenger plane in an apparent suicide attempt so his family could cash in on the flight insurance he purchased before boarding.
As a result, the plane plunged into the ocean minutes before it was scheduled to land in Dalian city in the northeast, killing 103 passengers and nine crew members.
Earlier this year, aviation officials said China was planning to set up a dedicated 2,000-member air marshal force, first considered in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
They were scheduled to be on aircraft by the middle of the year, but whether this has actually happened remains unclear.