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Two hijackers of Turkish airliner surrender peacefully

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Two hijackers of an Istanbul-bound airliner have given themselves up to authorities, Turkish television has reported.
ANKARA, August 18 (RIA Novosti) - Two hijackers of an Istanbul-bound airliner have given themselves up to authorities, Turkish television has reported.

The surrender brings to an end a five-hour ordeal that began when the airplane, operated by Atlas-Jet and with 136 passengers on board, was seized shortly after taking off from Northern Cyprus by two men claiming to have a bomb and demanding to be flown to Tehran. They have tentatively been identified as a Turkish national and a Palestinian.

The plane made an emergency landing in the resort town of Antalya, where most of the passengers were able to escape after forcing open a rear door.

Both pilots also jumped clear, and only the hijackers, two stewardesses and three passengers remained on board as negotiations with police began. The hijackers eventually freed their remaining hostages before surrendering a short time later.

Earlier, some passengers who escaped reported that the hijackers claimed they were members of al-Qaeda, although others said they did not identify themselves.

The jet was seized shortly after takeoff from Ercan airport on Northern Cyprus, with one of the hijackers claiming to have a bomb and threatening to blow the airplane up.

However, they were reportedly unable to break down the pilot cabin door and the crew proceeded to land in Antalya.

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