Syria plane forced to land in #Turkey 'carried Russian-made munitions' - http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/10/20121011182317469327.html … via @ajenglish #Syria [VIDEO]
Al Jazeera English 
7:40 PM - 11 Oct 12 · Details
| Syria plane 'carried Russian-made munitions' | ||
Turkish PM says passenger plane forced to land in Ankara was carrying material destined for Syria's defence ministry.
Last Modified: 11 Oct 2012 23:06
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| Syrian-bound passenger plane intercepted by Turkey was carrying Russian-made munitions destined for Syria's defence ministry, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said. "This was munitions from the Russian equivalent of our Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation being sent to the Syrian Defence Ministry," Erdogan told a news conference on Thursday. "Their examination is continuing and the necessary will follow," he added. Turkish jets forced the plane, en route from Moscow to Damascus, to land in Ankara. Meanwhile, a large bomb exploded in an area housing security and army compounds west of Umayyad Square in the centre of the Syrian capital, according to activisits. There was no confirmation of any casualties. 'Air piracy' Damascus said the plane had been carrying legitimate cargo and described Turkey's actions as an act of "air piracy", while Moscow accused Ankara of endangering the lives of Russian passengers when it intercepted the jet late on Wednesday. The grounding of the plane was another sign of Ankara's growing assertiveness towards the crisis in Syria. Turkey's chief of staff warned on Wednesday his troops would respond "with greater force" if shells from Syria continued to hit Turkish territory. A spokesperson for Moscow's Vnukovo airport told state news agency Itar-Tass everything put on the plane had cleared customs and security checks and no prohibited items were on board. Asked about Erdogan's statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry declined further comment.
Syrian Arab Airlines chief Ghaida Abdulatif said in Damascus the plane had been carrying civilian electrical equipment. Military jets escorted the Damascus-bound Airbus A-320,which was carrying around 30 passengers from Moscow, into Ankara airport late on Wednesday after Turkey received intelligence that it was carrying "non-civilian cargo". Russia, which has stood behind President Bashar al-Assad's government during an 18-month-old uprising that the opposition says has killed about 30,000 people, angrily demanded an explanation. "The lives and safety of the passengers were placed under threat", the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that 17 of its nationals on board were refused access to Russian diplomatic staff. 'Brutal massacres' |
