Ethiopian Airlines hijacker held

Updated: 2014-02-17 15:12

(Agencies)

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GENEVA - A hijacked Ethiopian Airlines flight landed at Geneva's international airport on Monday, but it was not immediately clear who had seized the plane or if any demands had been made.

Ethiopian Airlines said that its flight ET702, which had been bound for Rome, had been "forced to proceed" to Geneva, adding that all passengers and crew were safe at the airport. It did not say if the flight had been hijacked.

It was not immediately clear if passengers and crew were still on the plane.

A Geneva airport spokesman, Bertrand Staempfli, said a hijacked plane had landed early on Monday morning, without identifying the carrier.

A flight tracking app for mobile devices showed the flight circling over the Swiss city several times before landing.

The hijacker is being held and the situation is "under control", Geneva airport police said in a text message.

"Hijacker held, situation under control, no injuries," the message sent to media said, adding that the airport was temporarily closed.

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