On March 15, a Russian airliner flying from Moscow to Istanbul was hijacked by terrorists and ordered to fly to the Saudi city of Medina.
The hijackers demanded an end to the counter-terrorist operation in the Chechen Republic in exchange for the 162 passengers and 12 crewmembers.
During the rescue operation conducted by the Saudi special forces, the hijackers shot dead flight attendant Yulia Fomina and a citizen of Turkey. The other hostages were freed, though some of them were wounded. Three terrorists were captured and one was killed during the operation.