Iran says it foiled hijack on eve of Khatami trip

Iran's security forces yesterday foiled a dissident's attempt to hijack a domestic airliner and divert it to France on the eve…

Iran's security forces yesterday foiled a dissident's attempt to hijack a domestic airliner and divert it to France on the eve of President Mohammad Khatami's visit to Paris, the official news agency IRNA reported.

It quoted a Revolutionary Guards statement as saying their forces had arrested a lone hijacker who had threatened passengers in an attempt to make the Iran Air plane, flying from Tehran to the north-western city of Orumiyeh, head for France.

The statement identified the hijacker as a member of the outlawed Iraq-based Mujahideen Khalq armed opposition group, whose exiled backers have organised protests in Europe against Mr Khatami's visit, which started yesterday.

The Mujahideen denied involvement, saying the statement was an attempt to distract attention from the protests.

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In a fax sent to Reuters in Dubai, the group said it had "never been involved in hijacking or any other act that would target innocent people".

Security on Iranian aircraft is provided by a special unit of the elite Revolutionary Guards set up after a rash of hijackings, mostly to Iraq, in the early years of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.