Egyptian passenger plane (Image from Internet)
Nicosia (IINA) – An Egyptian passenger plane landed in Cyprus after being hijacked by a man who is believed to be strapped with a suicide belt and ordered police to stand clear of the aircraft, news agencies reported.
EgyptAir flight MS181 was on a scheduled journey from Alexandria to Cairo when it veered off course on Tuesday morning. EgyptAir said negotiations had resulted in the release of all those on board the plane apart from the crew and four foreign passengers. Video from Larnaca airport has shown people leaving the plane and boarding a bus, according to BBC.
The hijacker was named in Egypt's state media as Ibrahim Samaha, an Egyptian man aged 27 or 28 years old who was sat in seat 38K on the plane, The Independent reported citing a statement from EgyptAir.
His motive remains unclear, though some Egyptian officials claimed that he was seeking “political asylum”.
AB/IINA
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