Sudanese, Saudis Foil Hijacking

A Saudi passenger wielding a gun attempted to hijack a Saudi Arabian Airlines jet Tuesday, but security forces aboard overcame the man and arrested him, a Sudanese official and the Saudi airline said.

The Airbus 300 jetliner returned to Khartoum and all passengers and crew were safe, said Maj. Gen. Sayyid al-Husseini, spokesman for Sudan's Interior Ministry.

Flight 450 left for Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, at 10:15 a.m. and the man tried to take over the plane 22 minutes after takeoff, a statement from the airline said.

The plane was carrying 185 passengers and a crew of 19, the airline said.

After the plane returned to Khartoum, authorities searched it for explosives but found nothing, a statement from al-Husseini said.

Neither the airlines nor al-Husseini identified the man involved, saying only he was a Saudi citizen. The airline said he was handed over to Sudanese authorities, and al-Husseini said his background was being investigated.

No possible motive for the hijack attempt was mentioned in either statement.

The plane was being readied to resume its flight to King Abdul Aziz Airport in Jiddah, the airline said.