HIJACKING OF ATLAS JET FLIGHT KKK 1011 ON AUGUST 18, 2007

UNCLAS ANKARA 002149 SIPDIS FAA BRUSSELS FOR KURT EDWARDS ATHENS PLEASE PASS TSA FOR DAN FURLONG SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O.12356:N/A TAGS: PTER EAIR ASEC TU SUBJECT: HIJACKING OF ATLAS JET FLIGHT KKK 1011 ON AUGUST 18, 2007 This message is Sensitive-But-Unclassified. Please protect accordingly. Details As Reported -------------- ¶1. (SBU) We are currently awaiting information from the GOT's investigation of the August 18, 2007 hijacking of Atlas Jet flight KKK 1011, which departed from Lefkosa (Northern Cyprus) en route to Istanbul. Two students from Northern Cyprus -- Mommen Abdul Aziz Jumah Talikh, possibly an Egyptian national (although he claims to be Palestinian) traveling on a Syrian passport, and Mehmet Resat Ozlu, a Turkish national traveling on a Turkish identification card (common practice from Northern Cyprus)-- claimed to have C-4 explosives onboard the flight and demanded to be taken to Tehran or, alternatively, Syria. The pilots did not allow them into the cockpit and, claiming a shortage of fuel, diverted and landed in Antalya, Turkey. ¶2. (SBU) Turkish media report that, once on the ground, the students told the passengers they were protesting the U.S., claimed to be from al Qaeda, and placed a "K" in the cockpit window indicating this affiliation. News reports claim that Talikh was trained at an al Qaeda camp. Reportedly, while the hijackers were allowing women and children off of the plane, some of the remaining passengers kicked out the back emergency door of the plane and began jumping out of the tail. The hijackers were then left with only a few passengers (reportedly 3) and two crew members. ¶3. (SBU) During the ordeal, the pilots also escaped the plane. It is not clear whether they were instructed to by Turkish security forces or if they did so of their own accord, but in subsequent interviews, they claimed they were trying to protect those remaining onboard by removing anyone who could fly the plane to another destination. Once the hijackers determined that they had no pilots to fly the plane and that the plane was inoperable because the back door had been kicked out, they surrendered to Turkish Security Forces and were taken into custody. The hijacking lasted approximately five hours. GOT Investigation -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The GOT is continuing its investigation of the event and has shared few details with us. However, an official from the Ministry of Transportation's Civil Aviation Directorate General (DGCA) told us that the pilots followed proper procedure by diverting the plane to the nearest airport once the hijackers claimed to have explosives onboard. Turkish National Police (TNP) ordinance detection officials on the ground in Antalya confirmed that no explosives or weapons of any kind were found on the plane. Flight Manifest -------------- ¶5. (SBU) We confirmed that dual Canadian-U.S. national Soraya Belhachemi, DPOB 25 July 1991, Stillwater, Oklahoma, was traveling with her parents on this flight, but all three were traveling on Canadian passports. She and her family were met in Istanbul by Canadian consular staff from Ankara and continued their travel back to the UAE. ¶6. (SBU) In such situations, the GOT generally refuses to release flight manifests to third-countries who cannot confirm that their nationals are onboard the hijacked plane. Upon notification from the Operations Center that a U.S. citizen might be onboard, we immediately requested the manifest from several GOT sources, including the MFA, who refused to provide it to us unless we could confirm the name on the manifest. We plan to meet with relevant Turkish authorities in the coming days to discuss this problem with them, so that we can ensure access to the manifest during such a situation to check against U.S. databases. ¶7. (SBU) We will provide additional information from the investigation as we receive it. Point of contact is Civil Aviation Officer, Rebecca Kimbrell, kimbrellrj@state.gov, or +90-312-457-7071. MCELDOWNEY