Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/767061
maltatoday, SATURDAY, 24 DECEMBER 2016 12 News Hijackers carried fake weapons to divert Libyan flight to Malta JURGEN BALZAN TWO Muammar Gaddafi loyalists who hijacked an internal Libyan flight with at least two pistols, replicas, and a hand grenade were arrested after diverting the plane to Malta yesterday morning and then surrendering. Following a brief standoff, all the pas- sengers and crew were allowed to exit the plane without violence. There were 111 passengers on board – 82 males, 28 females, and one infant – as well as seven crew members. Libyan MP names as Abdel-Salam al- Marabet, was reportedly among the pas- sengers. The four-hour standoff ended when the two men, who reportedly claimed they wanted to launch a new political party, came out of the Afriqiyah Airways plane with a crew member who was their final hostage. "Hijackers surrendered, searched and taken in custody," prime minister Joseph Muscat tweeted, after the 118 passengers and crew on board were allowed to leave the plane in batches. As negotiations – led by Armed Forces of Malta commander Jeffrey Curmi – were underway one of the hijackers told Libya's Channel TV in a phone call that he headed a party supporting Gaddafi, and had organised the uprising to promote the group. The two hijackers, named as Mousa Saha and Ahmed Ali, reportedly de- manded political asylum in Malta, however at a press conference held in Valletta an hour after the ordeal was over, Muscat denied this and said that "no requests were made." He said his government refused to entertain any of the hijackers' demands before all passengers and crew members were released. Despite saying that a request for politi- cal asylum would not be met, he did not exclude the possibility of the two hijack- ers applying for asylum. Muscat also said that the rest of the crew and passengers were questioned to ascertain events and once the interroga- tion is completed the passengers and crew members will be flown back to Libya on another Afriqiyah aircraft. Muscat's chief of staff, Keith Schembri – recently at the centre of a controversy about his health – was present for the press conference at Castille. 'Gaddafi supporters need international protection' – UN TIM DIACONO THE United Nations has identified supporters of the former Gaddafi regime amongst the vulnerable groups most in need of international protection. In an October 2015 report, the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) urged all countries to allow all Libyan nationals and residents fleeing the North African country access to their territories, and to reconsider the claims of failed asylum seekers who re-apply for protection. Countries are advised to give particular attention to, among others, pro- Gaddafi regime supporters, activists, journalists, members of the judiciary and law enforcement of- ficers, LGBT people and ethnic and religious mi- norities. "People with these and other profiles may be in need of international protection in accordance with the 1951 [Refugee] Convention, for reasons of real or imputed political opinion, or for reasons related to other 1951 Convention grounds," the UNHCR report states. "Claims need to be consid- ered on an individual basis, carefully taking into account the particular circumstances of each case." The UNHCR advises states to exclude from in- ternational protection people who are individu- ally responsible for crimes, and to separate the civilian Libyan refugee population from the mi- litias seeking asylum. It encourages countries to suspend forced de- portations of Libyans, including those who have had their asylum claims rejected, until the secu- rity and human rights situation has improved considerably. "Given the volatility of the situation, the frag- mentation of control and the plethora of armed groups, UNHCR considers that, in the current circumstances, the relevance and reasonable- ness criteria for an internal flight or relocation alternative are unlikely to be met. "Suspension of forcible returns of nationals to Libya serves as a minimum standard and should not replace in- ternational protection for people found to meet the criteria for refugee status under the 1951 Convention and the 1969 [Organisation of Afri- can Unity] Convention." Special army units were on site monitoring the situation as negotiations were underway with AFM commander Jeffrey Curmi and the hijackers. Photo Stephen Busuttil Hands up! Stephen Busuttil captures the moment the two hijackers are apprehended by the Armed Forces after releasing the 111 passengers and crew of seven from aboard the Afriqiyah airliner. Inside the hijacked airliner: a passenger tweets a photo of the situation inside.