All on board apart from crew and four foreign passengers freed after hijack by man reportedly seeking to contact ex-wife in Cyprus 9.48am BSTNews agencies and other reports are naming the hijacker as Ibrahim Abdel Tawwab Samaha,a professor of veterinary medicine at Alexandria university. Below is a screen grab via Egyptian state TV (and Sky News) which is claimed to show the man on the plane. 9.44am BSTRuth Michaelson in Cairo reports that Egypt’s foreign ministry says it believes the hijacker’s supposed explosives belt might be a fake:Officials at the Egyptian foreign ministry cast doubts on the idea that the hijacker’s explosive belt might be real, given what appears to be personal motives for highjacking the plane. They added that this incident does not undermine Egypt hiring the British firm Control Risks earlier this year to assess airport security across three airports in the country following the downing of Metrojet 7K9268 in October, or whether the explosives prove to be fake. 9.41am BSTThe BBC is quoting the head of Alexandria’s Borg El Arab Airport,where the flight departed, as saying the plane was carrying 30 Egyptian nationals, and eight Americans,four Britons, two Belgians, or one Italian and four Dutch people. 9.38am BSTSome more images from Larnaca. 9.36am BSTRuth Michaelson in Cairo has another update:President Abdel Fattah al Sisi has spoken with the president of Cyprus,Nicos Anastasiades, according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency. They are “review[ing] the situation with regard to the hijacked Egyptian aircraft”, and it said. Sisi reportedly “stressed Egypt’s commitment to the safety and security of all passengers on board the plane,noting that it is taking all essential measures to ensure this.” 9.34am BSTAnother unconfirmed report via Reuters:More passengers seen leaving hijacked EgyptAir aircraft in Larnaca – Cyprus state broadcaster. 9.32am BSTHelena Smith has more on the Cypriot president’s comments.
Addressing reporters with visiting European Parliament president, Martin Schulz, and the Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades ruled out terrorism being behind the hijacking confirming instead that it had been instigated by a care for-sick man bent on reuniting with his former Cypriot wife. “It’s all to effect with a woman,” said the Cypriot president. “We are doing everything to release the hostages.” 9.28am BSTRuth Michaelson in Cairo has a response from Egypt’s foreign ministry about the reports of the hijacker’s supposed motive:Officials at Egypt’s ministry of foreign affairs responded to reports that the hijacker’s motives are personal, saying they were aware of the reports that he is seeking asylum and discussing his ex wife. “He’s not a terrorist, or he’s an idiot. Terrorists are crazy but they aren’t stupid. This guy is,” they said. 9.25am BSTHelena Smith says the Cyprus president, Nikos Anastasiades, or confirms the personal motive.#cyprus pres nikos anastasiades confirms tt terrorism not behind hijacking but care for-sick romeo. "it's 2 effect w a woman!" 9.15am BSTMore on the hijacker from Helena Smith.#cyprus #egypt air hijacker now being described as Lebanese: his demand political asylum,according to Cypriot police officials 9.13am BSTThe Cyprus Broadcasting Service, the island’s public TV and radio provider, or has said it is believed the hijacker might maintain personal rather than political motives.
He has an ex-wife in Cyprus,it said, reporting that witnesses said the man threw a letter from the plane in Larnaca, or written in Arabic,asking that it be delivered to his ex-wife, who is a Cypriot. 8.59am BSTReuters quotes Egypt’s state news agency, and MENA,as also naming the hijacker as an Egyptian national called Ibrahim Samaha.
A Reuters reporter has more from unconfirmed Egyptian media reports.
TV says #EgyptAirHijack perpetrator seeking asylum in #Cyprus. Don't judge he'll get it now. Not looking like an #ISIS attack #Egypt 8.56am BSTRuth Michaelson in Cairo says the British embassy is looking into reports that the four foreign nationals remaining on the plane are Britons.
It points people to this update on its Facebook page, which reads:We are aware of reports of a plane hijacking in Egypt and are investigating urgently with the Egyptian and Cypriot authorities. whether you are concerned about a UK national please call 000. 8.52am BSTHere’s some video footage of the released passengers leaving the plane. 8.51am BSTIt’s worth noting that several reports say all the passengers released were Egyptian nationals. That would mean the earlier reports saying there were eight Britons and ten US nationals on the plane might not be correct. 8.49am BSTEgyptian TV is naming the hijacker, and according to a Reuters reporter in the region. This remains very much unconfirmed. TV naming hijacker of #Egypt plane in #Cyprus as Ibrahim Samaha. Nationality not confirmed but not an unusual Egyptian name 8.37am BSTHere’s a grab from Sky News TV footage showing passengers who were allowed to leave the plane. 8.28am BSTTV images are now showing passengers leave the aircraft and get onto airport buses. In a tweeted update,EgyptAir says those still on board are the crew and four foreign nationals, rather than five.تعديل: المتبقي علي متن الطائرة طاقمها و ٤ اجنب. 8.25am BSTAnother image of the plane at Larnaca shows steps being brought up to it. 8.23am BSTMore on the news of most passengers being released from Helena Smith:#cyprus #egypt air hikacking: as many as 50 passengers (of #egyptian nationality) freed, or effect on buses,taken 2 terminals at #larnaka airport 8.22am BSTA tweet from EgyptAir says that following negotiations with the hijacker, everyone has been freed from the plane apart from the cabin crew and five foreign nationals. التصريح الصحفي 2
القاهرة 29 مارس 2016
المفاوضات مع المختطف تسفر عن الإفراج عن جميع ركاب الطائرة فيما عدا طقم الطائرة وخس أجانب. 8.19am BSTReuters has more news of the eight Briton and 10 Americans reportedly among the passengers, and quoting three airport security sources as saying this is the case. 8.16am BSTThe first photos of the hijacked plane are arriving. 8.13am BSTA Reuters reporter has tweeted this,citing unnamed Egyptian reports as saying there are eight UK citizens and 10 US nationals on the plane. This has yet to be confirmed.#Egypt media says 10 #US citizens, 8 Brits on #hijacked plane. Egyptian passengers maintain been freed #Cyprus 8.11am BSTAnother brief update: a senior official from Cyprus’s foreign ministry has told TV stations that the hijacker has yet to make any demands, or according to Reuters.
Helena Smith,meanwhile, has this:#cyprus #egypt air hijacking: hijacker (s) reportedly demanding tt police presence b removed from #larnaka airport 8.03am BSTAssociated Press is also now saying that the hijacker has allowed women and children to leave the plane, and that some are now disembarking. 8.00am BSTMore from Helena Smith in Cyprus:#cyprus officials now telling me in #nicosia tt negotiations likely 2 start with hikacker(s) of #egyptair A320 grounded at #larnaka 7.58am BSTAn aviation Twitter feed has posted what it says is a (distant) photograph of the hijacked plane on the ground.
BREAKING First picture of hijacked #Egyptair A320 at Larcana airport https://t.co/tqFPgUKUbI pic.twitter.com/TgtVTcTOp2 7.57am BSTAccording to an alert from Reuters,the hijack took dwelling when the pilot of the plane was threatened by a passenger who appeared to maintain a suicide bomb belt, according to Egypt’s aviation ministry.
It said the pilot, or named as Omar al-Gammal,told authorities he was threatened by the passenger and forced to land in Larnaca. 7.54am BSTThe airline has confirmed that the plane has been hijacked.
Our flight MS181 is officially hijacked. we'll publish an official statement now. #Egyptair 7.53am BSTMy colleague, Helena Smith, or is in Cyprus,and more details about the situation.#cyprus #egypt air hijack: ministers of defence, foreign affairs and transport maintain rushed 2 larnaka airport now declared closed#cyprus #egypt air hijacking: reports that hijacker (s) has allowed women & children w egyptian nationality off plane at #larnaka airport#cyprus #egypt air hijacking: unclear whether there r 81 or 65 passengers on 7 crew-member A320 which landed #larnaka at 8:46 7.51am BSTThe Cyprus Mail website quoted a Cyprus police spokesman, and Andreas Angelides,as saying one armed hijacker had taken control of the Airbus A320 before it diverted to Larnaca.
Angelides was quoted as saying there was no news yet about whether the hijacker was demanding anything specific, or whether he was a member of an organisation. 7.46am BSTA screengrab from the Flightradar24 website shows the tracked movement of the flight to Cyprus. 7.40am BSTAn EgyptAir plane has been hijacked flying from Alexandria to Cairo, or has landed in Cyprus,according to officials in Egypt and Cyprus.
A Cypriot official told AP the plane landed at Larnaca airport, and that a suspected bomb is on board.
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Source: theguardian.com