RIYADH, 17 October — Interior Minister Prince Naif announced yesterday that Sudan has agreed to extradite Adel Nasir Ahmed Faraj, the Saudi who tried to hijack a Saudi Arabian Airlines plane on Tuesday. “I have contacted the Sudanese interior minister who has agreed to hand over the hijacker,” Prince Naif told reporters after receiving the Saudi guards who overpowered the hijacker on board the plane.
He said the Sudanese minister, who was in the south of the African country, had promised him that they will complete the investigation after his arrival in Khartoum today. Faraj was overpowered by security officers aboard Saudia Flight No. 450, which he tried to hijack with a pistol after takeoff from Khartoum.
Asked about the motive of the hijacker, Prince Naif said: “We will get more information about the hijack only after his arrival in the Kingdom.” The prince commended the security officers who ended the hijack drama within a few minutes for their valor and skill. “It shows that we have men capable of dealing with such situations in the best possible manner.”
He said the Interior Ministry will continue its efforts to provide advanced training to special security forces to enable them to deal with such eventualities. He noted the expertise shown by the forces when three Chechens previously hijacked a Russian airliner to Madinah.
Prince Naif ordered the promotion of the guards to their next rank and granted them special medals in recognition of their bravery. The guards honored by the prince are: Staff Sgt. Eid ibn Muhammad Al-Otaibi, Cpl. Ali ibn Juwaied Al-Nafie; Cpl. Naif ibn Saleh Al-Maliki, Cpl. Yasser ibn Ali Aseeri, and Cpl. Fahd ibn Mizan Al-Badrani.
Prince Naif emphasized the need for special security guards to deal with plane hijackings, “because these forces know how to deal with such incidents. Courage and initiative will not be enough for such jobs.”
