A Ukrainian man who said there was a bomb on a flight headed to Istanbul was seized by Turkish security forces who later discovered he was only carrying a bag full of electronics, according to the Associated Press.
As soon as the pilot alerted air security officials, Turkey scrambled an F-16 fighter jet to accompany the Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane as it landed at Sabiha Gokcen airport at 6.05 p.m. (1605 GMT), after a flight from the Ukrainian city of Kharkov with 110 passengers on board, the AP reported.
The alleged hijacker is a 45-year-old man and had a small bag containing electronic goods but no bomb, Istanbul Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu told reporters after the operation to capture him, according to the AP.
"None of the passengers were harmed and a successful operation was carried out," Mutlu said, the AP reported. He added force was necessary to remove the suspect from the plane.
"He was captured as a result of a struggle without the need to use any weapons. The hijacker was slightly wounded," Mutlu said, according to the AP. The suspect has not been linked to any terrorist organization and the governor took a trip the airport earlier in the evening to take charge of a crisis centre to handle the incident.
Video footage shows passengers sitting calmly on the aircraft before the operation was carried out, the AP reported. Media reports said the suspect was believed to be drunk, but the governor did not confirm those reports.
