Iran foils hijacking on Syria-bound plane: report

Iranian air marshals on Saturday foiled an armed man's attempt to hijack a plane bound for the Syrian capital Damascus, Fars news agency reported.

Iranian air marshals on Saturday foiled an armed man's attempt to hijack a plane bound for the Syrian capital Damascus, Fars news agency reported.

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"This morning a person armed with a weapon, which wasn't a firearm, claimed he had placed a bomb on the plane and wanted to hijack the plane," Fars said, without citing any sources. "Air marshals reacted swiftly and arrested him," the report said, adding a preliminary investigation showed there was no bomb on the aircraft which landed safely in Damascus.

The report did not identify the airline, but flagship carrier Iran Air has frequent weekly flights to the Syrian capital, which many Iranians visit on pilgrimage.