Xinjiang foils plane hijacking, 10 injured
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E-mail Xinhua, June 29, 2012
Air crew and passengers on Friday foiled the attempted hijacking of a plane carrying 100 people in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, according to local police. At least 10 people were injured in the incident.
Six people tried to hijack Tianjin Airlines' flight GS7554 just 10 minutes after it took off from Hotan Airport at 12:25 p.m. and 1,400 km away from its destination, the regional capital city of Urumqi, officials with the regional public security bureau said.
Two flight policemen were seriously injured in a fight with the hijackers that also saw seven passengers slightly injured, police said.
The plane was safely piloted back to Hotan Airport, and the six suspects are now in police custody.
Further investigation is under way. Police have not revealed whether the hijackers were armed.
The incident has provoked public uproar, with passengers, local residents and netizens across the country condemning the attempted crime.
Officials from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on Friday evening visited the crew members and gave them an award of distinction for their bravery and calmness in coping with the emergency.
Aircraft hijacking is the most serious type of violent terror attack in the world today, said Pan Zhiping, a professor at Urumqi-based Xinjiang University, adding that these hijackers' actions showed no regard for passengers' lives and they could be considered as terrorists.
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