Muhammed Tokcan ( Abkhaz name Tug-ipa), (born 1969, in Gebze), was one of the hijackers arrested for the hijacking of the ''Avrasya'' in 1996. The leader of the militants, Muhammed Tokcan, escaped from the prison in

Dalaman Dalaman is a district, as well as the central town of that district, situated on the southwestern coast of Turkey, in the Muğla Province. Dalaman Stream (''Dalaman çayı'') forms much of the western border of the district, where its neighbor ...

on October 6, 1997. Tokcan was arrested again at

Atatürk Airport Atatürk Airport (former IATA code: IST) ( tr, Atatürk Havalimanı) is a general aviation airport in Istanbul. It used to be an intercontinental passenger and cargo hub and closed to commercial passenger flights on 6 April 2019 when all fli ...

in Istanbul on April 29, 1999, as he tried to flee to

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...

under a false

passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...

. He was

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

d on December 22, 2000. On April 22, 2001, just before midnight, a group of 12 militants led by Tokcan (who was still on parole), seized the Swissotel in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

and took hostages to draw attention to the new war in Chechnya. The crisis ended again without bloodshed when all gunmen surrendered after 12 hours. Tokan led a group of gunmen who forced their way into the lobby of the luxury hotel firing automatic rifles and pump-action shotguns and demanding an audience with Interior Minister Saadettin Tantan."Chechen Gunmen Take Hostages at Turkish Hotel"
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tokcan, Muhammed 1969 births Hijackers Living people Turkish people of Abkhazian descent