Turkey Intercepts Syrian Passenger Plane
October 11th, 2012Via: USA Today:
Turkish jets on Wednesday forced a Syrian passenger plane to land at Ankara airport on suspicion that it might be carrying weapons or other military equipment, amid heightened tensions between Turkey and Syria that have sparked fears of a wider regional conflict.
The Syrian Air jetliner was traveling from Moscow when it was intercepted by F16 jets as it entered Turkish airspace and was escorted to the capital’s Esenboga Airport, the state-run TRT television reported.
Hours later, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the Airbus A320 with 37 passengers and crew would be allowed to leave, but its cargo had been confiscated.
“There are elements … that are not legitimate in civilian flights,” the state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Davutoglu as saying. He did not provide details but said authorities continued to examine the cargo.
Davutoglu earlier told Turkey’s TGRT television that the plane was intercepted on suspicion it was carrying illicit cargo to Damascus.
Weapons and mercenaries have been moving freely across the Turkish-Syrian border courtesy NATO and UAE/Saudi allies to support rebels, meanwhile Turkey has the boldness to intercept Syrian planes and confiscate their cargo. I don’t see how people can expect a country to not find that totally offensive a sign of foreign invasion.