Hijack victims near home

Passengers faced long waits in Iraq and Saudi Arabia

Passengers from the Saudi Arabian Airlines plane hijacked en route to London on Saturday are due to land in Britain soon.

Relatives are gathering at Heathrow airport to meet 86 of the original 90 passengers from flight SV115, with the other four heading for Syria.

Passengers finally boarded the plane back to Saudi Arabia on Sunday evening

Their original flight was diverted to Baghdad by hijackers who then surrendered to the Iraqi authorities.

One of the passengers, 21-year-old graduate Waqas Hussein, said there had been little or no security at Jeddah airport when the journey began.

"There wasn't any checking of our luggage or ourselves."

He said the captain of the plane told him the two hijackers had three bombs and one gun.

"He thought they had been smuggled on board in a bag."

One of the hijackers conceals his identity during an Iraqi TV interview

Mr Hussein, who is returning to the UK from Pakistan to begin a master's degree at King's College, London, said: "After landing at Baghdad we were on the tarmac for an hour and a half before we were told we had been hijacked.

"People were scared but nobody got rowdy. I saw some tense faces.

"After four hours sitting in the plane the captain announced they had successfully negotiated with the hijackers.

"Everybody on board clapped as the hijackers left."

Passenger Neil Broomfield, 24, from Hampshire, said they did not at first realise they had been hijacked.

Timeline of events

1030 GMT: Plane takes off from Jeddah

1330 GMT: Pilot alerts air traffic control of hijack

1645 GMT: Plane lands in Baghdad

1930 GMT: Iraqi authorities start negotiating with hijackers

2020 GMT:Hostages released

There had been no signs of violence and the crew had kept very calm.

"It wasn't until we landed that we realised that we weren't in London," he said.

The passengers, 40 of whom are British, and 15 crew had been delayed in Baghdad on Sunday.

Safety checks were apparently made on the aircraft following comments from the hijackers suggesting they may have left some explosives on board.

They then flew to the Saudi capital Riyadh on Sunday evening, and continued their journey on a specially chartered aircraft after a short stopover.

The hijackers, who said they had acted to highlight human rights abuses in their country, were arrested by the Iraqi authorities.

Relieved: Passengers were happy to be going home

They later appeared talking in a relaxed manner on Iraqi TV.

Television stations in the Gulf identified them as Ayeish Ali al-Khalidi and Faisel Naji al-Bluey from Saudi Arabia.

There were reports the pair worked as security guards at Jeddah airport.

"We are just ordinary people and we are calling for the rights of the Saudi people such as decent education, decent health and other services," said one of the men.

The hijackers said they had not asked for political asylum.

Saudi Arabia has demanded their extradition but diplomatic relations between Riyadh and Baghdad have been decidedly frosty since the Gulf War.

'Iraq had an obligation'

"We hope the hijackers will be handed over to us so they can face justice," said Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz.

British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook has welcomed the release of the hostages but refused to thank the Iraqis, saying it was their "obligation" to prevent terrorist acts.

Passengers were able to leave the plane soon after it landed

Among those waiting at Heathrow for the flight from Saudi Arabia, expected at around 0840BST, is Mohammed Asjid, 28, from Bradford, West Yorkshire.

He is meeting his father, Mohamed Akbar, 53, who had been on a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Mr Asjid said: "When I first came on Saturday I had no idea about the hijack until a TV reporter told me.

"It was a real shock. I did not know what to say.

"I did not know how to tell my mum, who does not speak English. So I just told her the flight was delayed.

"All weekend we have just been praying non-stop.

"Now I can't wait to see him."