Airplane Was Suspected Of Carrying Weapons To Damascus

A Syrian Airbus A320 on a flight from Moscow to Damascus Wednesday was intercepted by Turkish fighter jets and escorted to Enseboga International Airport in Ankara, where it was searched for weapons suspected to be on board.

The airliner was reportedly carrying only 35 passengers on the flight. Turkish authorities reportedly confiscated military communications devices before allowing the plane to continue to Damascus.

The BBC reports that, according to state-run television, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that the government had gotten information indicating that "non-civilian cargo" might be on the flight. He said that the Turkish government is 'determined to control weapons transfers to a regime that carries out ... brutal massacres against civilians." He was referring to an incident in which five Turkish civilians were killed by cross-border mortar fire from Syria last week. He said "we received information this plane was carrying cargo of a nature that could not possibly be in compliance with the rules of civil aviation."

The airplane was allowed to leave Esenboga Airport after several hours on the ground. Turkish authorities have since declared Syrian airspace to be unsafe, and have barred flights by Turkish aircraft over that country.

The Voice of America reports that Moscow is demanding an explanation from Turkey about the incident. In a statement issued Thursday, the Russian Foreign Minister said that Turkey's actions threatened the lives and safety of the passengers on board, which included 17 Russian citizens. Syria has long been an ally of Russia.

FMI: www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3432.htm