Teddy bear bomb is no picnic

Thursday 26 February 1998 00:02 GMT

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A MAN who hijacked a Turkish jetliner with a teddy bear he said was a bomb is a "psychopath" with a drink problem who wanted to be on TV, said his wife and the police.

Mehmet Dag, 31, hijacked a Turkish Airlines jet with 62 passengers and five crew aboard shortly after take-off. Saying the teddy bear was loaded with explosives, he demanded to be flown to Tehran. Three passengers overpowered Dag during a refueling stop five hours into the ordeal.

"He is a psychopath," Diyarbakir police chief Gaffar Okan said after questioning Dag. His wife, Fidan Dag, told reporters that he was jobless and had a drinking problem.

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