Turkish jet hijacker: "I converted to Christianity and refuse to serve in Muslim army"

All the plane's 107 passengers and six crew were reported unhurt. The hijacker, identified as Hasan Ekinci, who had run away to Albania during military service in the Turkish army, had previously written to Pope Benedict to seek the pontiff’s help to avoid military service in his home country, telling him he had converted to Christianity and he no longer wanted to serve in Turkish Army, APA reports.

"Honorable Pope, I am Hasan Ekinchi. I am a Christian and I don't want to serve in a Muslim army. I beg for your help. I found the truth in Jesus and the Gospel. I am living in an UNO-based refugee camp. Albany has good relations with Turkey and I may be handed over to Turkey. Help me, Pope!" he wrote in the letter.

In 2001 he was arrested on charge of receiving a loan from a bank by fraud but the punishment was commuted into a suspended sentence by a court decision. He counterfeited a passport on the basis of his neighbor's ID information in Izmir and traveled to Macedonia, Albany, Italy and Germany.

He was reported to police by his neighbor when he came back to Izmir. But, the court passed a suspended sentence upon him again.

By the law of Turkey, hijacker can be sentenced from 5 to 10 years in jail.