Malta PM says 111 passengers onboard hijacked Libyan plane, including infant

Malta: The hijacked Libyan airliner that has landed in Malta has 111 passengers on board, including an infant, Malta's prime minister said on Twitter.

"It has been established that Afriqiyah flight has 111 passengers on board. 82 males, 28 females, 1 infant," Joseph Muscat said.

Two hijackers had threatened to blow up the Airbus A320, which had a total of 118 people aboard, outlets including the Times of Malta said. The aircraft had been flying from Sebha in southwest Libya to Tripoli for state-owned Afriqiyah Airways.

The tiny Mediterranean island of Malta is about 500 km (300 miles) north of the Libyan coast.

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had earlier tweeted: "Informed of potential hijack situation of a #Libya internal flight diverted to #Malta. Security and emergency operations standing by -JM".