Turkish hijackers 'want to send message to pope'

The hijackers of a Turkish Airlines plane which was forced to land in Brindisi in Italy on Tuesday want Italian authorities to deliver a message to Pope Benedict, Italy's civil aviation authority said.

"As far as we know, the hijackers want to talk with Italian authorities to send a message to the pope," a spokeswoman for ENAC said. The airport has been closed.  (Reuters)