A small plane allegedly ‘hijacked’ from Canada’s Vancouver Island region raised great concern on Wednesday as it headed towards Vancouver International Airport, triggering police intervention and causing disruptions at one of the nation’s busiest airports.
As reported by AFP, its operations were temporarily suspended during the alert, with nine flights diverted upon arrival.
The flight arrivals suspension took about 39 minutes, according to Global News Canada. Although operations have been restored, some delays are anticipated.
The plane used in the attack was a Cessna 172 owned by a Victoria flying club. The lone suspect on board was apprehended after the plane landed in Vancouver at 2:15 am IST on Wednesday. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed that the ‘suspect was arrested without incident’.
Witness Paul Heeney, cited by Canada’s public broadcaster CBC, recounted the strange movements of the plane. He said, “the plane was flying low in an airspace a small plane wouldn’t normally be in.” He went on, “A few minutes later, we saw a second pass. The plane was doing a big clockwise circle.
A social media post by a passenger reported that police pursued the plane upon landing, and the suspect shortly appeared afterward. Footage widely circulated on social media indicated that the person was surrounded by police officers, standing hands up by the side of the small Cessna on the runway.
