GRAN CANARIA: Crew members and passengers overpowered an armed hijacker who took over a plane to the Canaries.
The man, armed with two loaded handguns, took control of the Boeing 737 soon after it left the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, late yesterday afternoon.
The plane was heading for Las Palmas after a stopover in the African country, but the hijacker demanded to be flown to France.
The pilot refused and headed for the Canaries. During the flight the crew and passengers overpowered the hijacker.
The plane was surrounded by civil guards and police when it landed at Gando military base, outside Las Palmas city.
Officers went on board and arrested the hijacker.
More than 20 of the 71 passengers needed medical treatment. The most serious was a pregnant woman who was treated for severe shock.
Police said the hijacker was not a terrorist. He was a Moroccan, desperate to move to France, but he had been repeatedly refused a visa.
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