Suspected Marxist hijackers forced a Colombian commercial airliner to land on a remote highway and then kidnapped a senator and at least one other passenger today.
The army accused the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) of the hijacking, but a commander for the rebels said that he knew nothing of the incident.
The AIRES airlines plane was on its way from the southern city of Neiva to the Andean capital Bogota when the hijackers forced it to land on a highway near the small town of El Hobo and disappeared with Senator Jorge Gechem, a member of the opposition Liberal Party, and at least one other passenger, the army said.
The passengers and crew who were left behind appeared to be safe and in good health, they said.
The plane landed close to the FARC-controlled demilitarized enclave.
"All we know is that it was the FARC," said an army spokesman, but a senior rebel commander, Mr Raul Reyes, said he had no information on the hijacking.
There were no immediate details of what type of plane was involved or how many people were aboard, although AIRES uses large propeller-driven aircraft with the capacity to carry several dozen passengers on that route.
Government spokesmen were due in the rebel enclave to continue peace talks with the FARC later today.
Three Irishman are currently being held in prison in Colombia, accused of training FARC rebels last year.