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Summary A Syrian plane was forced to land in Ankara on suspicions that it was carrying weapons.
A Syrian passenger plane was forced to land in Ankara on Wednesday evening on suspicions that it was carrying weapons, Anatolia news agency reported citing officials.We received information that the planes cargo did not comply with rules of civil aviation, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was quoted as saying by the agency.Davutoglu noted that international law would apply if weapons were found on the Syrian aircraft, without elaborating further.The plane carrying 35 passengers was escorted by two Turkish jets to Ankaras Esenboga Airport for security checks on its cargo by Turkish special operation units.The A-320 plane was travelling from Moscow to Damascus when it was intercepted by Turkish authorities at around 1430 GMT, according to NTV news channel.The search for weapons and ammunition is ongoing.Ankara on Wednesday also warned Turkish airline companies against using Syrian airspace to avoid a possible retaliation from Damascus, NTV added.After that warning, that a Turkish Airlines plane carrying Turkish pilgrims from the northwestern city of Bursa landed urgently in Adana city in the south, according to NTV.The plane is waiting for Ankaras green light to take off again for its destination in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
