Air traffic controllers in Turkey lost contact Tuesday with a private jet carrying Libya’s military chief and four others as it departed for home after a visit to Turkey, the country’s interior minister said.
Libya’s military chief, Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, had been in Ankara for meetings with Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and other officials.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the Falcon 50 business jet took off from Esenboga Airport in Ankara at about 8:30 p.m. and lost contact roughly 40 minutes later. Before communications were cut, the aircraft transmitted an emergency landing signal near Haymana, a district south of the capital, Yerlikaya said.
Security camera footage broadcast on Turkish television appeared to show a flash in the night sky over Haymana, suggesting a possible explosion.
Following the incident, Ankara’s airport was temporarily closed and several flights were diverted, according to the private NTV news channel.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
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