Egypt Demands Extradition of Surviving Aircraft Hijacker : Autopsies Seek to Establish How 58 Victims Died

Egypt today demanded that Malta extradite the surviving hijacker of the EgyptAir jetliner. At the same time autopsies were being conducted on scores of people killed when commandos stormed the plane.

Maltese investigators were questioning passengers and crew who survived the drama, which began Saturday when terrorists commandeered the Boeing 737 shortly after it left Athens for Cairo.

Fifty-eight people were killed when Egyptian commandos stormed the jetliner Sunday and the hijackers threw incendiary grenades into the cabin.

An American woman was shot to death before the Egyptian raid.

Maltese officials on Tuesday said the suspected hijacker had identified himself as Omar Marzouki, a 20-year-old Tunisian, and that several people on the plane had described him as the leader of the hijackers.

Egypt Seeks Jurisdiction

He was hospitalized in satisfactory condition with unspecified wounds, government spokesman Paul Mifsud said.

In Cairo, the Egyptian government today issued a statement saying the extradition request was made so Marzouki “can be tried under Egyptian law since this is Egypt’s right under international law.”

Mifsud said Marzouki had been questioned by police but “his health condition has not permitted yet any in-depth interrogation.” Earlier, Mifsud said Malta “will have to see” whether any extradition request would be honored.

Egyptian state security prosecutor Ragaa Araby said that if extradited, Marzouki could face charges of murder, espionage and endangering transportation with penalties ranging from lengthy imprisonment to death.

Cause of Deaths Sought

Autopsies to determine whether the victims died from gunshot wounds or the effects of the grenades were conducted today at St. Luke’s Hospital and at a temporary morgue.

Mifsud said the results of the autopsies would be turned over to the investigating magistrates. He said he did not know if the results would be made public.

Maltese investigators, including Deputy Magistrate Noel Cuschieri, this morning interviewed four Egyptian women, including two injured stewardesses, who were among 11 women released by the hijackers before the plane was stormed.

An Egyptian newspaper today quoted the commandos’ operation commander as saying the two stewardesses provided them with vital information in planning the raid.

“We went to the hospital and found out from the two wounded air hostesses that there were four hijackers and where they were so we could enter the plane without any losses,” Maj. Gen. Mohammed Kamal Din Attia told the state-owned Cairo daily al-Akhbar. Maltese officials say there were five hijackers.