Turkish plane hijacked, six hostages held

Unidentified people leave the Atlasjet aircraft as it waits on the tarmac after being hijacked on its way to Istanbul from northern Cyprus, at Antalya Airport August 18, 2007. Nearly all the passengers on a plane hijacked on its way to Istanbul from northern Cyprus have left the aircraft and an operation to rescue the others is almost complete, Atlas Jet CEO Tuncay Doganer said.

ANTALYA, Turkey (Reuters) - A Turkish passenger plane heading for Istanbul from northern Cyprus was hijacked on Saturday and forced to land in Turkey where most of the 136 passengers escaped but six hostages were held, the airline said.

The pilots had left the plane and CNN Turk reported that negotiations had hit a sticking point as the hijackers -- two Iranians according to the northern Cyprus administration -- were demanding a pilot back on the plane.

Some witnesses said the hijackers had said they had a bomb. CNN Turk reported that they were protesting against U.S. policies.

Civil aviation chief Ali Ariduru told reporters negotiations were continuing.

"The situation is extremely sensitive ... our aim here to bring this operation to an end without anyone being hurt," he said in televised comments.

Atlas Jet CEO Tuncay Doganer said earlier four passengers and two crew members were still on the aircraft after it was forced to land in Antalya on the south coast, as it did not have enough fuel to go to Iran as the hijackers wanted.

Doganer said the other passengers were either freed by the hijackers or had escaped through the emergency exits.

TV footage showed passengers running from the plane's side and back doors. Private broadcaster NTV quoted one witness as saying the hijackers had said they were members of al Qaeda.

The plane, which was flying from Ercan airport in Turkish-backed northern Cyprus to Istanbul when it was hijacked.

Cyprus, a major tourist destination, is divided between the internationally recognized government in the south and an enclave in the north recognized only by Ankara.

Plane hijacks and bomb threats are not uncommon in Turkey, where a number of radical groups ranging from Kurdish separatists to far-left militants operate. In the last year or so several incidents have been resolved without any passengers being harmed.

Turkey has warm relations with Iran.