Turkey Says There Was 2nd Hijacker

Turkey's Justice Minister said Wednesday a second Turkish national helped hijack a Turkish Airline plane to Italy.

"It has been understood that the plane was hijacked by Turkish citizens, Hakan Ekinci of Izmir and Mehmet Ertas of Antakya," the Justice Ministry said in a written statement.

Initially, the authorities had said Ekinci was acting alone during Tuesday's hijacking and that he had no accomplices. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear.

The statement said Turkey would ask Italy to clarify whether Ekinci and Ertas had been arrested with a view toward filing an extradition request.

In Italy, authorities said only one Turkish suspect was held.

"As things stand, it is confirmed that (the hijacker) was alone and that there were no arms on board, and the plane has left again with all the passengers," Brindisi Prosecutor Giuseppe Giannuzzi said.

A Turkish Airlines official said Wednesday that only 105 of 107 passengers returned to Istanbul on Wednesday, suggesting that Ertas might be in Italian authorities' custody along with Ekinci.

The state-owned Anatolia news agency earlier said one of the Turkish passengers had chosen to stay in Brindisi.

Francesco Barnaba, head of the crime squad in Brindisi, said he could say with "absolute certaintly" that only one man was held.

"Only one stayed, and everyone else left," Barnaba said, referring to the hijacker.