Hijacker held in Zurich

Press, 17 March 1977, Page 8

Hijacker held in Zurich

NZPA-Reuter Zurich An Italian hijacker, who commandeered a Spanish airliner three days ago and took on a 7000-mile odyssey in search of two children, was arrested yesterday after a gun-battle with two Swiss police agents disguised as pilots. A police spokesman said one of the police agents had suffered a leg wound.

None of the 22 hostages were hurt, the spokesman said.

The hijacker, Luciano Porcari, aged 37, was overpowered after the shooting, and arrested on the aircraft by armed and uniformed policemen who went on board after the passengers and crew had fled through the rear door of the Iberia Airlines Boeing 727.

“The rear door was opened to allow a change of crew, the two men went on board, and shortly after, the passengers began leaving the plane,” the spokesman said.

“Porcari had been overpowered, and as soon as the passengers had left the aircraft Porcari Was arrested by police on the runway.” The gunman, who had threatened to “massacre” the 22 hostages, was seized 43 minutes after the plane landed in Zurich. Porcari had ordered the plane to leave Warsaw hours earlier for Turin, Italy, so that he could speak “for at least 10 minutes” with his six-year-old daughter, Consuela. The girl’s mother refused to let him speak with Consuela when the plane first landed in Turin on Tuesday. Porcari, reported to be carrying two rifles and a pistol, commandeered the jetliner over Spain on Monday, forcing it to fly to Abidjan. Ivory Coast, to pick up another daughter, three-year-old Margarita, from his African mistress.

The plane, which crisscrossed two continents and touched down at major cities from Spain to Poland, was en route from Warsaw to Turin when the pilot asked Prague Airport for permission to land, saying that a passenger had suffered a heart attack.

But the request was denied by the Czech Interior Ministry, and the plane w r as directed to Zurich.