A hijacked Russian airliner with 58 people aboard landed in Israel early today, prompting Prime Minister Ehud Barak, halfway to Washington for a meeting with President Clinton, to abruptly cancel the trip to deal with the crisis.
The Dagestan Airlines flight within Russia was hijacked by two to four Chechen terrorists who demanded to be flown to Israel, authorities and Radio Israel reported.
Barak initially refused the Muslim extremists access to Israel, fearing terrorist intrigue.
But after hearing that the pilot of the Tupolev 154 was under great pressure from the hijackers, allowed the plane to land at a remote air base near Eilat, in the southern part of the country, according to Maj. Gen. Danni Yatom, Barak’s chief of staff.
Israel Radio reported negotiations with the hijackers had begun by early today, using a Russian interpreter, to find out what they wanted.
The Israeli contingent for the Washington meetings were refueling at an airfield near London when the decision to return was made.
Yatom said the Chechens dubbed their hijacking “Al-Aqsa” – the same name as the mosque on Temple Mount.
A visit to the Temple Mount by Likud Party leader Ariel Sharon is said by some to be the spark of weeks of violence in Israel.
Barak’s meeting with Clinton was aimed at calming the clashes between Israelis and Palestinians and restarting the stalled peace talks.
The plane was seized en route to Moscow from the Caspian city of Makhachkala.
The flight refueled in Baku, capital of the oil-rich former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, before heading for Israel.
“They told us to refuel the plane and no questions. They threatened to blow up the plane,” said a representative of Azerbaijan Airlines.
At least two hijackers were on board, armed with an automatic rifle and an explosive device, he said.
Barak’s aides called Russian officials, hoping that the Chechens could be persuaded to land in an Arab country near Israel.
The American ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk, was traveling on Barak’s plane and notified the White House.
President Clinton is expected to leave for a trip to Vietnam tomorrow morning.