A man thought to be strapped with explosives hijacked an
Egyptian plane on a flight between Alexandria and Cairo on Tuesday and forced
it to land in Cyprus, Egyptian officials said, reports Reuters. After the
EgyptAir plane landed at Larnaca airport, the hijacker released all the people
onboard except four foreign passengers and the crew, EgyptAir said.
About 60 people, including seven-man crew, had been onboard,
Egyptian and Cypriot officials said. Cyprus broadcasting (CYBC) reported that
the hijacker may have personal motives. He had an ex-wife in Cyprus, CYBC said.
"The negotiations with the hijacker have resulted in
the release of all the plane passengers with the exception of the crew and five
foreigners," the airline said in a statement, but it later changed the
figure to four foreigners still held.
Egypt's Civil Aviation Ministry said the plane's pilot, Omar
al-Gammal, had informed authorities that he was threatened by a passenger
wearing a suicide explosives belt and forced him to land in Larnaca. A Cyprus
Foreign Ministry official said he could not confirm the man was rigged with
explosives. The hijacking occurred in Cyprus's flight information region.
Witnesses said the hijacker threw a letter on
the apron of the airport in Larnaca, written in Arabic, asking that it be
delivered to his ex-wife, who is Cypriot. The plane was an Airbus 320, Egypt's
aviation ministry said. Egyptian state media named the hijacker as Ibrahim
Samaha, an Egyptian, but gave no other details about him. Passengers on the
plane included eight Britons and 10 Americans, three security sources at
Alexandria airport said.
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