Saudi hijack suspect in court

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KHARTOUM, Sudan (Reuters) -- A Sudanese criminal court put on trial on Thursday a Saudi gunman who tried to hijack a Saudi airliner flying from Khartoum to Jeddah this week and three Sudanese accused of helping him, judicial sources said.

They said the trial was not open to the public, but gave no further details.

The daily al-Ayam said earlier that Adel Nasir Ahmed Faraj and the three Sudanese faced charges of terrorism, subjecting a means of transport to danger and illegal possession of firearms. If convicted they face up to 14 years in prison, it said.

It said the Sudanese men on trial were an airport security official who was alleged to have helped Faraj smuggle a loaded pistol onto the plane, the person who sold the gun and a middleman involved in the sale. It did not name them.

It was not immediately clear if the trial would affect talks with Saudi Arabia on the extradition of Faraj, who is alleged to have tried to hijack the Saudi Arabian Airlines plane carrying 204 people on Tuesday as it headed for Jeddah, on the Red Sea.

Saudi guards overpowered Faraj and the plane landed safely in Khartoum before flying to Jeddah later in the day.

Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday that Sudan had assured it that Khartoum would hand over the alleged gunman.

Egypt's official Middle East News Agency quoted a Sudanese Interior Ministry source as saying the two countries had an extradition pact and that informal contacts were under way, but that Riyadh had not made an official request.

A Saudi Airlines jet Hijack Plot Foiled By Guards     There have been conflicting reports about a failed hijack attempt on a Saudi Arabian Airlines jet. The airline has said that guards foiled an attempt by a lone Saudi gunman on board one of its flights from Sudan. Around 204 passengers and crew were on board and the airline claimed no one was injured. But Egypt's Middle East New Agency (Mena) quoted Sudanese sources as saying three Saudi hijackers were involved and that some passengers were apparently hurt. Disarmed Saudi Arabian Airlines said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency: "A passenger armed with a pistol hijacked the plane but special forces on board the flight immediately disarmed and arrested him with help from crew." It said the aircraft returned to Khartoum international airport and landed safely. The airline added the gunman had tried to take control of flight 450 from Khartoum to the Saudi city of Jeddah 22 minutes after it took off with 185 passengers and 19 crew on board. Suppressed But Mena agency said Sudanese security forces arrested three Saudi hijackers on the Airbus 300. "The three youths forced the captain to take off, then, after an hour of flying, forced him to return to Khartoum," Mena quoted the sources as saying. "Security authorities suppressed the incident. It appears there are some injured among the passengers."

Attempt to hijack Saudia flight foiled By Saud Al-Tuwaim, Arab News Staff JEDDAH/KHARTOUM, 16 October — Security officers aboard a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight from Khartoum to Jeddah foiled a hijacking attempt by a Saudi gunman yesterday, the airline and Sudanese police said. Interior Minister Prince Naif said that the hijacker, Adel Nasir Ahmad Faraj, 30, will be extradited to the Kingdom after the Sudanese authorities complete their investigations. Saudi Ambassador to Sudan Abdullah Mohammed Al-Harithy dismissed suggestions that Faraj had any links with Osama Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network. Speaking to Arab News from Khartoum, Al-Harithy said he was awaiting results of an investigation by Sudanese security authorities. He said Faraj had registered his passport with the Saudi Embassy about nine months ago. But after the hijack attempt, he told the ambassador that he came from the Kingdom to Sudan nine days ago. Faraj tried to hijack Saudia Flight No. 450, flying from Khartoum to Jeddah with 185 passengers and a 19-member crew on board. Guards on the aircraft subdued the pistol-toting Saudi who tried to take control of the plane shortly after takeoff from Khartoum airport. "The hijack drama lasted only 15 minutes," Al-Harithy said. Dr. Khaled ibn Bakr, director general of Saudia, told Arab News that the airline had sent a special plane to Khartoum to pick up the passengers on board the hijacked aircraft, which is expected to reach the Kingdom this morning. Bakr said the incident will not affect Saudia flights to Khartoum. "Our aircraft are guarded by efficient security forces," he added. Maj. Gen. Hussein Osman, spokesman for Sudanese police, said the would-be hijacker was being interrogated. "Twenty-two minutes after the plane left Khartoum airport, a man armed with a pistol stood up and announced he had hijacked the plane," Saudia said in a press statement. "The captain immediately diverted the plane toward Khartoum while special forces aboard the plane immediately overpowered and disarmed the hijacker with the help of the crew," it added. On the plane’s landing in Khartoum, the hijacker was handed over to Sudanese authorities. The passengers, crew and security personnel were safe and sound. The plane landed at Khartoum airport at 11:25 a.m. (0925 GMT), about one hour after the hijacking attempt, a spokesman for the airline said. The Sudanese Interior Ministry said Faraj tried to hijack the Airbus 300 plane about 20 minutes and 70 kilometers after takeoff. The authorities searched the plane for explosives but found nothing, and an investigation has been opened. State-run Sudanese TV ran footage of the plane at Khartoum airport, showing emergency exit slides that were used to evacuate the passengers, as well as sniffer dogs and blue-uniformed security forces in action. to Security Menu