(AP)
Updated: 2007-08-18 16:33

ANKARA, Turkey - Two men claiming to have a bomb hijacked a Turkish passenger plane on Saturday as it was heading from northern Cyprus to Istanbul, officials and passengers said.

Passengers leave a plane belonging to the private Atlas-Jet airline company at the Antalya airport in southwestern Turkey Saturday Aug. 18, 2007. Hijackers claiming to have bombs and to be members of al-Qaida hijacked the Turkish passenger plane heading from northern Cyprus to Istanbul, Saturday. The hijackers had asked that the plane to be diverted to Iran or Syria but the pilots landed the plane at Antalya airport, near the Mediterranean coast. [AP]

The hijackers had asked that the Atlasjet Airlines plane carrying 136 passengers be diverted to Iran or Syria, but the pilots said they would have to refuel and landed the aircraft an hour after takeoff at Antalya airport in southwestern Turkey, said Tuncay Doganer, CEO of Atlasjet.

Most of the passengers were freed by the hijackers or managed to escape from the rear exit of the plane, passengers who left the aircraft told private Turkish television station NTV.

Doganer said some crew members and "a small number" of passengers were left on board. The governor's office in Antalya announced that four passengers and two crew members were left on the plane.

Doganer said some of the passengers were released by the hijackers and the others managed to escape on their own.

Passengers said there were two hijackers on board. They spoke Arabic to each other.

Doganer would not reveal the identity or nationality of the hijackers.

Passenger Erhan Erkul told NTV that the hijackers ran toward the cockpit shortly after takeoff, tried to break down the door but failed.

"They claimed to have bombs," Erkul said.

He said the hijackers claimed to be al-Qaida members, but another passenger said the hijackers did not make any announcement about who they were or what they were demanding.

A female passenger, who was not identified, said the hijackers allowed the crew to serve water to the passengers.

Passengers speaking to NTV and CNN-Turk said the hijackers promised not to harm the passengers. "We are Muslims," the passengers quoted one of the hijackers as saying.

The hijackers allowed one of the doors on the side of the plane to be opened for fresh air after the air conditioner of the plane was switched off and some passengers fainted.