The hijackers of a Libyan plane have surrendered peacefully in Malta, with all 118 hostages freed unharmed.
The Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A320 was en route from Sabha to Tripoli when two men seized control of the plane with replica guns and grenades, and diverted it to Malta International Airport.
The two men appear to have been supporters of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed in 2011, but made no demands throughout the incident.
After negotiations with Maltese authorities, the men left the plane and were photographed kneeling on the tarmac with their hands in the air for arrest by Maltese police.
Following the peaceful end of the incident, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said:
“The two hijackers have been detained in custody and interrogations are ongoing. The rest of the crew and passengers are also being questioned to ascertain events.
“Once this interrogation process is completed over the next few hours arrangements will be made to send the passengers and the crew members back to Libya with another Afriqiyah aircraft.”
Libya remains in an unstable political situation, with rival groups battling for power in the wake of the Libyan civil war in 2011.
