Thursday, Dec 16, 2004
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A woman hostage gets off the hijacked bus in eastern Athens on Wednesday. — AP
ATHENS, DEC. 15. Two armed men hijacked a bus carrying more than two dozen passengers early on Wednesday, threatening to blow it up with explosives unless they were taken to the airport and put on a plane, police and government officials said. Government officials would not confirm reports that the men, identified by sources in the Athens prosecutor's office as Albanians, were demanding euro 1 million ($1.33 million). They said their initial demand was for a driver to take them to the airport. The men seized control of the bus about 17 km east of the city centre. The bus driver, a ticket inspector and a passenger escaped soon after, and 10 hostages — six women and four men — had been released about 11 hours into the standoff, officials said. Police said 14 others — two less than previously announced — remained inside. One hostage told NET television by cell phone that the hijackers said they would release the women in return for a driver and set the remaining passengers free once they arrived at the airport. One hijacker also told a Greek television station he wanted to go to Russia. Sources in the Athens prosecutor's office said both men were Albanians with criminal records in Greece. They speculated the men tried to hide their identities by pretending to be of a different nationality. The Albanian Ambassador Bashkim Zeneli said police asked for his help because they believed the hijackers were Albanian. ``I came here after I was told by Greek police that they are 99 per cent sure the hijackers are Albanians.'' — AP
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