Abu Dhabi - Authorities in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, yesterday questioned an Iraqi man who tried to hijack a Gulf Air flight but was overpowered by the crew in a scuffle which injured two crew members. Officials said the authorities were trying to determine the motives for Saturday night's attempted hijack.
A Gulf Air statement said the man had a knife, but the crew of the flight from Hong Kong to Abu Dhabi managed to "overcome the hijacker, and tie him with restraining straps".
It said the hijacker was an Iraqi national who tried to seize control of flight GF 153, with 202 passengers and 14 crew, three hours before its scheduled landing in Abu Dhabi.