PARIS, Dec. 24 -- Gunmen seized an Air France Airbus 300 with 271 passengers aboard Saturday as it prepared to leave Algiers for Paris, an Air France spokesman said. Several hours after seizing the plane, the hijackers allowed 42 passengers -- 29 women, six men and seven children -- to leave the aircraft, the spokesman said.
No details were released about the identity of the hijackers or their demands, but the spokesman said they wore airport workers' uniforms. Flight 8969 had been expected to arrive at Orly Airport in Paris at 1:15 p.m. (1215 GMT/7:15 a.m. EST) from Algeria, where Muslim extremists have targeted foreigners in a recent series of violent attacks. The Houari Boumedienne Airport in Algiers has been closed since the incident began.
