Hijackers take French plane to Tehran

An Air France jet, hijacked by four Arabic-speaking gunmen on a flight from Vienna to Paris Saturday afternoon, landed Sunday with seven crew and about 20 passengers aboard at Tehran airport, an Air France official in Tehran said.

The hijackers, whose nationality was not known at time of publication, were reportedly armed with sub-machine guns and grenades. They said they hijacked the plane to protest French policies in the Middle East.

The plane was originally diverted to Geneva, where it refuelled and 37 of the 111 passengers were released. It then flew to Catania, Sicily, where 54 more passengers were released, and on to Damascus where a flight attendant was allowed to deplane.