VALLETTA ,Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Afriqiyah Airways said that the passengers on board the hijacked Libyan flight will return to Libya on Friday evening, local media reported.

In a press conference on Friday evening, Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat discussed the details about the positive end to the hijacking of the Libyan plane that was diverted to Malta International Airport.

He said that two pistols and a hand grenade had been found.

Later in the evening, the Maltese government said that initial forensic investigations showed that the weapons used were identical "replica" ones.

The operation to ensure that the aircraft is safe from explosives or other arms is still ongoing.