MOSCOW, December 28 (RIA Novosti) - A passenger jet of Russia's Aeroflot airlines made an emergency landing in Prague following an attempt to hijack the plane and the suspected attacker was arrested, an airline official and air security service said Thursday.
The A-320 airliner with 168 people onboard was en route from Moscow to Geneva when it made an unscheduled landing at Prague's Ruzyne international airport after the pilot declared an emergency.
"Preliminary reports said an attempt was made to attack the crew," Aeroflot's Irina Dannenberg said. "The liner is now at the airport, which is cordoned off by police."
Aeroflot's air security service said the suspected hijacker had been arrested.
She said the suspect's surname is Dagayev and he is 32 years old.
Dannenberg also said he had demanded the crew fly to Cairo.
An air security official said the plane would resume its flight after an additional examination and baggage checks.
The Russian Embassy in the Czech Republic said the Czech police were questioning Dagayev.
Aeroflot's deputy director general said the suspect threatened that he had a bomb.
"He is a Russian national. He said he had an explosive device and behaved strangely," Lev Koshlyakov told Russia's RTR television channel and denied media reports that the man was under the influence of alcohol.
The Czech Web site novinky.cz quoted Police Chief Vladislav Gusak as saying that the passengers subdued the hijacker themselves.
The Czech agency CTK said the man's family was traveling with him.
