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Russia Foils Passenger Plane Hijacking


Russian special forces overpowered a man after he briefly seized a plane with 105 passengers onboard at a Moscow airport.

Transport police spokeswoman Tatyana Trunova said the plane, which departed from the southern Russian city of Mineralniye Vody, was landing at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport when a passenger handed a note to a crew member demanding a meeting with journalists and officials.

The plane was freed two hours later by special forces who boarded the plane disguised as doctors after the hijacker agreed to allow several passengers medical attention.

It was unclear how he had gained control of the plane. Mineralniye Vody is in the North Caucasus, which suffers violence attributed to separatist militants.

compiled from agency reports

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