A man was said to have tried to kidnap a Russian passenger plane on its way to Moscow. A few minutes after the launch of the Aeroflot aircraft in Surgut, Western Siberia, the suspect demanded that the plane fly to Afghanistan, the National Anti-Terrorist Committee said.
The passenger had tried to penetrate into the cockpit and demanded the course change, it was said in a statement of the investigators. The suspect was drunk. The pilot immediately initiated a security landing in Khanty-Mansiysk. The situation is according to first findings under control. No one was hurt, it was said.
The alleged perpetrator is according to information Russian. He may have mental health problems, the agency Tass reported and relies on a spokesman for the authorities. He had previously been conspicuous and arrested several times under the influence of alcohol. So far, nothing is known about a terrorist background.