VZCZCXRO4775
PP RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #2149 2321454
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 201454Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3477
INFO RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 2237
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 3207
RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 8304
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 6677
RUEHBS/FAA BRUSSELS BE
RHMFIUU/TSA HQ WASHDC
RUEBBEA/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHDC

UNCLAS ANKARA 002149 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FAA BRUSSELS FOR KURT EDWARDS 
ATHENS PLEASE PASS TSA FOR DAN FURLONG 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.12356:N/A 
TAGS: PTER EAIR ASEC TU
SUBJECT:  HIJACKING OF ATLAS JET FLIGHT KKK 1011 ON AUGUST 18, 2007 
 
 
This message is Sensitive-But-Unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
Details As Reported 
------------------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) We are currently awaiting information from the GOT's 
investigation of the August 18, 2007 hijacking of Atlas Jet flight 
KKK 1011, which departed from Lefkosa (Northern Cyprus) en route to 
Istanbul.  Two students from Northern Cyprus -- Mommen Abdul Aziz 
Jumah Talikh, possibly an Egyptian national (although he claims to 
be Palestinian) traveling on a Syrian passport, and Mehmet Resat 
Ozlu, a Turkish national traveling on a Turkish identification card 
(common practice from Northern Cyprus)-- claimed to have C-4 
explosives onboard the flight and demanded to be taken to Tehran or, 
alternatively, Syria.  The pilots did not allow them into the 
cockpit and, claiming a shortage of fuel, diverted and landed in 
Antalya, Turkey. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Turkish media report that, once on the ground, the students 
told the passengers they were protesting the U.S., claimed to be 
from al Qaeda, and placed a "K" in the cockpit window indicating 
this affiliation.  News reports claim that Talikh was trained at an 
al Qaeda camp.  Reportedly, while the hijackers were allowing women 
and children off of the plane, some of the remaining passengers 
kicked out the back emergency door of the plane and began jumping 
out of the tail.  The hijackers were then left with only a few 
passengers (reportedly 3) and two crew members. 
 
¶3. (SBU) During the ordeal, the pilots also escaped the plane.  It 
is not clear whether they were instructed to by Turkish security 
forces or if they did so of their own accord, but in subsequent 
interviews, they claimed they were trying to protect those remaining 
onboard by removing anyone who could fly the plane to another 
destination.  Once the hijackers determined that they had no pilots 
to fly the plane and that the plane was inoperable because the back 
door had been kicked out, they surrendered to Turkish Security 
Forces and were taken into custody.  The hijacking lasted 
approximately five hours. 
 
GOT Investigation 
----------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) The GOT is continuing its investigation of the event and 
has shared few details with us.  However, an official from the 
Ministry of Transportation's Civil Aviation Directorate General 
(DGCA) told us that the pilots followed proper procedure by 
diverting the plane to the nearest airport once the hijackers 
claimed to have explosives onboard.  Turkish National Police (TNP) 
ordinance detection officials on the ground in Antalya confirmed 
that no explosives or weapons of any kind were found on the plane. 
 
Flight Manifest 
--------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) We confirmed that dual Canadian-U.S. national Soraya 
Belhachemi, DPOB 25 July 1991, Stillwater, Oklahoma, was traveling 
with her parents on this flight, but all three were traveling on 
Canadian passports.  She and her family were met in Istanbul by 
Canadian consular staff from Ankara and continued their travel back 
to the UAE. 
 
¶6. (SBU) In such situations, the GOT generally refuses to release 
flight manifests to third-countries who cannot confirm that their 
nationals are onboard the hijacked plane.  Upon notification from 
the Operations Center that a U.S. citizen might be onboard, we 
immediately requested the manifest from several GOT sources, 
including the MFA, who refused to provide it to us unless we could 
confirm the name on the manifest.  We plan to meet with relevant 
Turkish authorities in the coming days to discuss this problem with 
them, so that we can ensure access to the manifest during such a 
situation to check against U.S. databases. 
 
¶7. (SBU) We will provide additional information from the 
investigation as we receive it.  Point of contact is Civil Aviation 
Officer, Rebecca Kimbrell, kimbrellrj@state.gov, or 
+90-312-457-7071. 
 
MCELDOWNEY