ANKARA, Turkey -- Police Friday hunted for an Arab man who tried to plant a bomb-laden suitcase aboard an Alitalia plane bound for Rome with 79 passengers.
The device was concealed in a 10-pack carton of Marlboro cigarettes and hidden in a suitcase checked to proceed from Rome to New York on a Panam flight, Alitalia officials said.
But it was spotted and safely defused before take-off from Istanbul Thursday afternoon.
Airline staff became suspicious because 80 passengers checked in luggage but only 79 showed up for the flight. They got everyone to check and identify their suitcases, then officials went through the unclaimed baggage.
They found the carton of Marlboro hidden among children's clothing. It immediately aroused suspicion because it weighed more than a carton of cigarettes. Bomb experts safely defused the device.
An Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera speculated the bomb was destined for use in the United states. But Turkish bomb experts said the bomb was designed in such a way that it would have exploded in mid-air en route to Rome because of pressure in the baggage hold.
Police issued a warrant for the arrest of the Arab man who deposited the luggage at the airport. His luggage identified him as A. Omar.
The incident was the latest in a series of scares in Turkey in the past week.
Istanbul and Ankara were hit by explosions Dec. 21, a day after a car bomb was safely defused near a U.S. officers' club in western Turkey.
Mindful of these incidents and the attacks on U.S. embassies in Beirut and Kuwait, Turkey's military government has stepped up security against suicide car bombers and imposed new safety measures at U.S. facilities in the country.
Government offices also have been put on alert against 'stray' cars parked in alleys, sidewalks or near embassy compounds. A special team is at work tracing suspicious vehicles.
On Christmas Eve, the U.S. shopping and residence center at Kuchukesat in Ankara was barricaded by four buses to guard against any vehicle bombs. At the U.S. Embassy, a second iron gate was erected to tighten security.
An Iranian and a Syrian have confessed to plotting a sabotage attempt in Ankara last week and seven other foreigners are being interrogated in Istanbul, police said.
All were identified as members of an Iranian-based organization called 'Islamic Cause.'
