Alitalia Flight Lands Safely in Rome After Hijacking Attempt

Alitalia Flight 329 landed safely in Rome late Sunday following an attempted hijacking. According to authorities, a Kazakh man identified as 48-year-old Valery Tolmachev held a knife to a female flight attendant’s throat and demanded the plane be diverted to Tripoli, Libya.

Tolmachev was subdued by other passengers and given a sedative by a doctor on board. He was arrested upon arrival at Fiumicino airport. The flight attendant suffered minor wounds in the attack and was taken to a hospital for treatment. No one else was wounded.

Police say the motive for the attack is still unclear. Tolmachev is reportedly a member of the Kazakhstan delegation at UNESCO in Paris. He is being held at the Civitavecchia prison.

Alitalia Flight 329, which took off from Paris, was carrying 131 people.

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