HIJACKING OF TURKISH AIRLINER ON APRIL 10

UNCLAS ANKARA 000862 SIPDIS FAA BRUSSELS FOR KURT EDWARDS PARIS PLEASE PASS TSA FOR NOURI LARBI SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O.12356:N/A TAGS: PTER EAIR ASEC CASC TU SUBJECT: HIJACKING OF TURKISH AIRLINER ON APRIL 10 ¶1. (U) On April 10, a Boeing 737 owned by private Turkish airline Pegasus heading to Istanbul from Diyarbakir was hijacked 25 minutes after takeoff. The hijacker, Mehmet Goksingol, told crew members he would explode a cell-phone activated bomb in a package he had with him if the plane did not take him to Iran. The crew helped the hijacker communicate with the pilots without letting him in the cockpit, and the pilots were able to convince him that they did not have sufficient fuel to take the plane to Iran. (The cockpit door remained locked at all times.) The hijacker agreed to stop in Ankara to refuel, where he turned himself in to the police forces that boarded the plane. According to press reports, Goksingol told police he hijacked the plane because he had a dream about a plane crash and wanted to prevent this by hijacking the plane. The press reported that Goksingol had a history of mental problems and a sizeable criminal record. ¶2. (SBU) Deputy Director General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) Haydar Yalcin, confirmed press reports on the hijacking. He said the plane carried 178 passengers, none of whom were American citizens. Yalcin told us the incident was handled very professionally from the start, with all parties involved taking the right steps. He noted that the hijacker did not have any material he was not allowed to carry on board, including the explosives he claimed to have. Yalcin added that the crew was also successful in not opening the cockpit door, and convincing the hijacker to land in Ankara. Yalcin said the passenger had a criminal record, including narcotics crimes, and said they believed he was under the influence of drugs at the time he hijacked the plane. ¶3. (SBU) Our Turkish National Police (TNP) contacts separately confirmed the course of events as reported by the press. They added that the hijacker was undergoing tests to determine if he used drugs before hijacking the plane. They told us he had a criminal record of nine arrests, none of which was for terrorist crimes. Police do not believe the hijacker has any affiliation with the terrorist organization PKK. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: Turkey has experienced similar hijacking scenarios in recent years. Given that no explosives or arms have been found on the hijackers,it appears that GOT authorities have been doing a good job in implementing security screening. Our observation with regard to this last incident was that it was handled professionally, and all related agencies took timely and correct action to minimize risks. WILSON