Brindisi, Italy
Two Turks hijacked a Turkish airliner this week and diverted it to Italy, where they sought political asylum. The plane, which took off from the Albanian capital Tirana, was bound for Istanbul when the two men demanded to go to Italy so they could “take a message to the pope.” None of the 107 passengers was harmed, and the hijackers surrendered upon landing in Brindisi. At least one of the men was a Christian convert who feared persecution for avoiding Turkish military service. Initial reports held that the men were protesting the pope’s planned visit to Turkey in November.
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