Four men jumped out of a plane that had just made an emergency landing, sparking a police and Armed Forces of Malta manhunt.
The incident occurred at around 1.45pm on New Year’s Day when Turkish Airlines flight TK619 heading to Morocco requested permission to land in Malta as a passenger was feeling unwell.
Shortly after the Boeing 737-8 (registration TC-LCI) landed and while crews were working to retrieve the sick passenger’s suitcase, four other passengers made a quick getaway from the plane’s rear door.
The men leapt to the runway and then escaped out of sight. Two of them were subsequently arrested while two remained on the run as of 7.30pm, a police spokesperson confirmed.
Police and the Armed Force of Malta were both alerted and a manhunt got under way.
The man who reported feeling ill, a Moroccan national, was taken to Mater Dei Hospital while under arrest.
The Turkish Airlines flight then continued its journey to Morocco.