Turkish jet hijacker gives himself up in Ankara

ANKARA - A man hijacked a Turkish airliner carrying 180 passengers and crew on Tuesday but gave himself up to authorities after it landed in Ankara, television channels reported.
"The hijacker, of Turkish nationality, has given himself up to police and been taken into custody," transport ministry spokesman Ibrahim Sahin told journalists at Ankara.
The hijacker's name was Mehmet Gokcingol and he was aged about 40, he added. "All the passengers and crew are safe and sound."
The passengers would be continuing their journey on another plane, said Sahin.
One passenger told CNN-Turk television that the hijacker had said he had a bomb attached to his belt and that at one point he had read verses from the Koran.
"He didn't seem to be in full possession of his mental faculties," the passenger added.
Television news reports had said the man had wanted the plane to go to Iran.
The Pegasus airline Boeing 737-800 carrying 174 passengers and six crew had taken off from Diyarbakir in southeast Turkey for Istanbul at 5:40 pm (1440 GMT).