Beijing flight diverted as attendant held hostage

An Air China flight bound for Beijing was diverted to central China yesterday after a passenger held a flight attendant hostage using a pen as a weapon, authorities said.

All passengers and crew on Flight 1350 made it safely off the plane after it landed in Zhengzhou city at 10am.

Police said that the arrested hostagetaker had a history of mental illness and suffered an unspecified “sudden” psychological disorder. It identified the man by only his surname, Xu, and said he was 41 and from Anhua, a county in Hunan.