A Turkish airliner flying from Tirana to Istanbul has been hijacked and flown to Brindisi in southern Italy, media in Turkey and Greece report.
A Turkish airliner flying from Tirana to Istanbul has been hijacked and flown to Brindisi in southern Italy, media in Turkey and Greece report.
It sent out an SOS twice in Greek airspace, and Athens scrambled four fighters to escort it to Brindisi, a Greek official told Reuters.
It sent out an SOS twice in Greek airspace, and both Greece and Italy scrambled fighter jets to escort it before it landed in Brindisi.
The Turkish Airlines plane is carrying at least 107 passengers.
The Turkish Airlines plane is carrying at least 107 passengers.
Unconfirmed reports say there are two hijackers and they are protesting about plans for a papal visit to Turkey.
Unconfirmed reports say there are two hijackers and they are protesting about the Pope's planned visit to Turkey.
According to Turkey's private television channel NTV, the two hijackers, who oppose Pope Benedict's visit scheduled for November, are ready to surrender.
A Greek defence official who spoke to Reuters said the plane had entered Greek air space at 1758 (1458 GMT) and four Greek fighters took off to escort it.
The Italian air force in turn sent up two F-16s to intercept the plane and reportedly force it to land in Brindisi.
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