International Incident - TURKs Hijack Plane

BRINDISI, Italy (CNN) -- Passengers from a hijacked Turkish plane carrying 113 people are leaving the aircraft after the two unarmed Turks who hijacked the plane, protesting the pope's upcoming visit to Turkey, agreed to release them.

Italy's transport minister announced the release on NTV, and the network reported that the passengers were disembarking from the plane.

Authorities have also said the two Turk hijackers have indicated they were ready to surrender to authorities, but one of their demands was that a message be delivered to Pope Benedict XVI.
The plane departed Tirana, Albania and was headed to Istanbul, Turkey, when the Turks entered the plane's cockpit over Greek airspace, officials said.

The plane sent out an SOS signal and Greek defense ministry planes escorted the aircraft out of Greek airspace. Greek officials alerted their Italian counterparts, the airline spokesman said.
An Italian air force F-16 fighter jet then intercepted the Turkish Boeing 737, carrying 107 passengers and six crew, and forced it to land at a military airport in Brindisi, in the south of Italy, an air force official told Reuters.

An Albanian passenger interviewed by NTV said passengers had no idea there was anything wrong on the plane, that it was just like a normal flight.

The chairman of Turkish Airlines confirmed the hijacking and said none of the passengers had been hurt.

"The passengers and crew are under no threat," Candan Karlitekin told NTV television.
The airline spokesman said the Turks commandeered the plane to protest Pope Benedict XVI's upcoming visit to Turkey, and because they were angered over the pope's recent comments quoting a 14th century scholar about Islam.

The Vatican said it was monitoring the situation.

Many Muslims were angered by the pope's speech at a German university last month, saying it was an attempt to portray their religion as innately violent.

He later expressed his "total and profound respect for all Muslims" in an effort to repair relations following his controversial comments.