Today In History: Yugoslav Air Force jets force down Ugandan plane

Today In History (August 31, 1991)

Yugoslav Air Force Jets intercepted and forced down a Uganda airlines boeing 707, reg No. 5X-uCm, carrying 19 tonnes of arms and ammunition. That action came after the Ugandan pilot requested an emergency landing for refuelling at Ljubljana and informed Yugoslav authorities that he was carrying "technical equipment."  The pilot's request, however, raised suspicions at Yugoslav Air Force headquarters, which promptly ordered several military jets into the air to escort the boeing to another airfield in Zagreb, the Croatian capital, where its actual cargo was ascertained.