COLOMBO -- A man armed with a knife tried to hijack an Air Seychelles Boeing 737 in mid-air on Monday but was overpowered by cabin crew and arrested when the plane landed in the Maldives, officials said.

The incident came just two days before the anniversary of the September 11 attacks in the United States, and Air Seychelles immediately called for an investigation into security at Bombay Airport in India where the flight began.

The man tried to enter the cockpit of the plane, but he was tackled by a cabin crew member who received minor injuries, Maldivian Director General of Civil Aviation Mahmood Razi told AFP.

"The drama had ended by the time the aircraft landed at the Male International Airport," Razi told AFP by telephone from the Maldivian capital Male. "We have arrested one man who is in the custody of the police. "We are not sure of his nationality, but he was carrying an Indian passport. We are also questioning another passenger who could be linked to the man in custody."

Maldivian police assisted by the national security service were questioning the would-be hijacker and the other man who was with him.

"The man with the knife had said he wanted to divert the aircraft to another destination but we have no other details," Razi said.

Officials also said the man had told the cabin crew he had planted a bomb onboard but Maldivian civil aviation officials said they had found no explosives.

No passengers were hurt in the incident, said Sangeeta Mansukhani, an Air Seychelles official in Bombay.