You're reading: Syria says plane from Russia carried legal cargo

DAMASCUS - Syria said on Thursday a Damascus-bound plane forced to land in Ankara by Turkish fighter jets while en route from Moscow had been carrying legitimate cargo.

“The plane was not carrying any illegal material,” Ghaida
Abdulatif, head of Syrian Arab Airlines, told reporters in
Damascus. “When the plane was inspected it was clear that there
were … civilian packages with electrical equipment which are
allowed to be transported and had been officially registered.”

The state news agency SANA also quoted Abdulatif as saying
Turkish authorities “assaulted the plane’s crew before it was
allowed to take off”, without giving details.

Lebanon’s al-Manar Television earlier quoted Syria’s
transport minister as describing Turkey’s forcing the passenger
plane to land as an act of air piracy. Turkish officials
suspected it was carrying military equipment to Syria, where
President Bashar al-Assad’s forces are fighting rebels.

Abdulatif said Turkey’s action was “inhumane” and that the
airline would lodge a complaint with international aviation
authorities over the incident.