EgyptAir hijack: Larnaca negotiations continue

• 29 March 2016
 
• From the sectionMiddle East

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Media captionFootage showed some passengers leaving the hijacked plane

Most of the passengers and crew who were on board a hijacked Egyptian plane that was forced to divert to Larnaca airport in Cyprus have been freed.

EgyptAir Flight MS181 was taken over after a passenger claimed to be wearing a suicide explosive belt.

Some reports say the hijacker wants to talk to his estranged wife in Cyprus, and the Cypriot president has said the hijack is not a terrorist incident.

But others say he is demanding the release of female prisoners in Egypt.

Egypt's civil aviation minister told a news conference that seven people remained on board the jet.

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Sherif Fathy identified them as the pilot, the co-pilot, a female stewardess, a security officer and three passengers whose nationalities he refused to divulge.

He said negotiations with the hijacker - who had made no specific demands - were continuing, and that it was unclear whether the hijacker had taken explosives on board or whether he was bluffing.

An aircraft was being sent to Larnaca to pick up the passengers who had been released, Mr Fathy added.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said: "We are doing our utmost in order for everyone to be released and safe."

In response to a reporter's question about whether the hijacker was motivated by romance, he laughed and said: "Always there is a woman involved."

EgyptAir said the Airbus A320 was carrying 56 passengers from Alexandria to Cairo, along with six crew and a security official. It had earlier said 81 passengers were on board.

A statement from the Egyptian Civil Aviation Ministry statement said the 26 foreigners on board included eight Americans, four Britons, four Dutch citizens, two Belgians, two Greeks, a French national, an Italian, and a Syrian. Three other foreigners could not be identified.

"The pilot said that a passenger told him he had an explosives vest and forced the plane to land in Larnaca," the Egyptian civil aviation ministry said in a statement.

Larnaca airport, on the south coast of Cyprus, has been closed and scheduled flights diverted elsewhere.

Image copyrightAP

Image captionEgyptAir Flight MS181, bound for Cairo, was forced to divert to Larnaca airport in Cyprus

Image copyrightReuters

Image captionNegotiations began and then people were seen emerging from the plane

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionAnother plane was sent to Larnaca from Egypt to pick up the stranded passengers

Image copyrightReuters

Image captionPolice sealed off Larnaca airport, which has been closed to other flights

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