Turks hijack plane
The week's news at a glance.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Exploring Georgia's southern highlands
The Week Recommends Visit Javakheti, Georgia's 'lake district', and meet the last-remaining 'spirit wrestlers' in the region
-
Delivery drivers face continuing heat danger with Trump's OSHA pick
The Explainer David Keeling is the former head of UPS and also worked at Amazon
-
Is that the buzzing sound of climate change worsening sleep apnea?
Under the radar Catching diseases, not those ever-essential Zzs