Intercepted Syria-bound plane departs after cargo inspection in Turkey

Source:Xinhua Published: 2012-11-8 18:37:24

The Syria-bound Armenian plane intercepted by Turkey earlier Thursday has been allowed to continue its journey after a cargo inspection, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

The Antonov AN 12 cargo plane, which took off in Armenia, was forced to land at an airport in Turkish eastern Erzurum province at 6:12 a.m. local time (0412 GMT), because the Turkish authorities suspected the plane was carrying arms, Today's Zaman newspaper reported.

The aircraft was declared to be carrying humanitarian aid to Syria, but Turkish security forces launched a search for arms on the plane, according to the report.

Last month, Turkey gave an all-clear for an Armenian plane to continue on its journey to the Syrian city of Aleppo after ordering it to land in eastern Turkey for a cargo search.

Turkey is trying to prevent its air space from being used for the supply to the Syrian military and forced down a Syrian airliner travelling from Moscow last month.

Posted in: Mid-East

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