The hijackers, two Chechens, six Turks and a Georgian, held more than 200 passengers, most of the Russian, hostage for four days to protest against Moscow's military campaign in Chechnya. A Turkish court sentenced them to eight years in prison. But all the hijackers escaped amid suspicion of collusion by the authorities. Last year, a Chechen man hijacked a plane that had taken off from the capital of Dagestan, Makhachkala, on its way to Moscow. The plane landed at a military airport in Israel and all the passengers were freed unharmed.
Observers say hijackings are a relatively frequent occurrence in the Caucasus region and Russia.
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