Iraqi Hijacker Overpowered

An Iraqi man armed with a knife tried to hijack a Gulf Air flight between Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi on Saturday, but crew members overpowered him, the airline said.

The co-pilot, an Omani, and the chief flight steward, a Bahraini were wounded in the struggle with the hijacker, Gulf Air said in a statement, without providing details.

The plane landed at the airport in Abu Dhabi, and all 262 passengers disembarked safely, the airline said.

Gulf Air said in a statement that the would-be hijacker was an Iraqi. There was no word on the motive for the seizure attempt.

"A Gulf Air Airbus A340 aircraft encountered a failed hijack attempt, when a passenger, an Iraqi national, threatened to hijack the aircraft with a knife in his hand," the statement said.

The plane, Flight GF153, was flying from Hong Kong to Abu Dhabi via Bangkok. The hijacking attempt occurred after the Bangkok stop. The Airbus 340, did not change course during the hijacking and landed at 1 a.m. Sunday, the airline said.

Gulf Air is owned by the Persian Gulf states Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, one of the seven sheikdoms of the United Arab Emirates. It is based in Bahrain and flies to 53 international destinations.