On December 23, 2016 a Libyan state-owned airline Afriqiyah Airways plane was hijacked by attackers armed with hand grenades.^[2]

The two hijackers have hand grenades and have threatened to blow up the aircraft that has 111 passengers on board; it is not clear what their demands are.

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Just over two hours after the plane landed, live video showed passengers disembarking as women and children were permitted to leave.

Male passengers and crew, however, continued to be held as hostages.

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Earlier footage showed movement in the cockpit as armed troops stood watch on the runway.

The Times of Malta reported that the hijackers claimed to be from a Libyan faction called Fatah al-Gadida, and were willing to release all passengers — but keep the crew on board — if their demands were met.

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Maltese troops outside an Afriqiyah Airways A320 that was diverted from Libya on Dec. 23, 2016, in an apparent hijacking.

(Tvm/AP).

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According to the Washington Post that report could not be independently confirmed, and it was not immediately clear what demands, if any, were made.^[4]

Reports describe the group involved in the hijacking as loyal to the ousted regime of Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi. The city of Sabha, where the flight originated, has witnessed ongoing clashes between rival tribes. Additionally, Sabha is notorious as a hub for arms smuggling and trafficking migrants from Libya and other African regions on the perilous journey to the Mediterranean, aiming for clandestine ships bound for Europe.^[4]

The Airbus A320, a Libyan passenger plane, was en route from Sabha to Tripoli, the capital, when it was diverted to Malta. According to an airport security official, the pilot informed Tripoli International Airport of the hijacking before communication was lost. Despite attempting to land in Tripoli, the pilot was thwarted by the hijackers.

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Malta’s Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat, tweeted about the “potential hijack situation” involving the Libyan flight diverted to Malta. Emergency teams were dispatched to the scene to handle the “unlawful interference,” as described by airport officials.^[2]

Malta state television reported that the hijackers are armed with hand grenades and have threatened to detonate them aboard the Airbus A320. Consequently, all flights to and from Malta have been canceled as a precautionary measure.

Malta state television has reported that the hijackers have hand grenades and have threatened to blow up the Airbus A320 plane.