Egypt Parliament Supports Malta Rescue Operation

The Egyptian Parliament passed a resolution Saturday approving the government’s decision to storm a hijacked Egypt-Air jetliner in Malta--the bloodiest hijacking rescue operation in history.

The Parliament passed the resolution during a special session Saturday night after the bodies of some of the hijacking victims were returned to Egypt from Malta.

President Hosni Mubarak and other officials have accused Libya of masterminding the Nov. 23 hijacking. Hinting last week at a possible retaliation, the Egyptians placed their armed forces on alert. Libya has denied having a role in the hijacking.

According to the resolution, the Parliament supported the government’s decision to storm the hijacked jetliner, calling the order a “discharge of international and human responsibility toward innocent passengers.”

Fifty-eight people were killed when Egyptian commandos stormed the captive Boeing 737 at Luqa International Airport. Two others were killed earlier by the hijackers.

Before the parliamentary vote, Prime Minister Ali Lutfi said Egypt is gathering evidence of Libyan support for the terrorist incident.

Although Lutfi did not mention Libya by name, he blamed the hijacking on a “neighborly country which, we regret, is still considered part of the Arab and Islamic (world).”

Lutfi’s remarks followed charges by Libyan radio that Egyptian troops massed along the border between the two countries were ready for an “aggression” against Libya with the help of the U.S. 6th Fleet, which was off the Libyan coast.

The jet’s captain, Hani Galal, said in an Egyptian television interview Saturday that he believes that a second hijacker, still unidentified, survived the raid and is undergoing treatment in a Malta hospital, “suffering from nervous shock.”

The alleged leader of the hijackers, identified as Omar Marzouki, was under guard at a Malta hospital, and hospital officials would not comment on Galal’s remarks.