ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish security forces ended a 12- hour hostage drama by killing a Kurdish rebel hijacker, who commandeered a ferry with 18 passengers, in a predawn lightning raid today, authorities said. No one else was hurt.
The hijacker had seized the Kartepe ferry after it set sail from the northwestern port of Izmit on Wednesday evening with the aim of attracting media attention, authorities said.
Elite military and police forces stormed the ferry just before sunrise today, instantly killing the hijacker without any shootout, said Gov. Huseyin Avni Mutlu of Istanbul province.
Television crews focusing on the ferry said some people were seen jumping in the sea when gunshots were heard.
Mutlu identified the hijacker as “a member of the terrorist organization,” referring to the Kurdish rebel group, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
