VALLETTA, Malta — The Latest on the apparent hijacking of a Libyan plane that landed in Malta (all times local):
5:40 p.m.
Libya's transportation minister is defending airport security in the country after a plane was hijacked and diverted to Malta.
Milad Matouq says security breaches happen everywhere and Libya is no exception. He says this is the first such incident since the 2011 revolution.
He says Maltese authorities are questioning the passengers and doing security checks in case a hijacker is among them.
Passenger Ibrahim Bashir tells Al-Nabaa TV that the passengers are "trapped" inside the buses and not allowed to leave.
The head of Libya's state-run culture agency says a total of 25 artists, writers, and intellectuals from southern Libya were among the passengers and were heading to Tripoli to participate in a culture forum.
