EgyptAir hijacker arrested, all passengers freed
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E-mail Xinhua, March 29, 2016
The hijacker who hijacked Tuesday an Egyptian airliner and forced it to land in Cyprus has been arrested, Egyptian Aviation Minister said.
The last seven persons who remained on board have been freed, Sherif Fathy said, adding all the passengers and crew are safe.
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A hijacked Egypt Air A320 airbus stands on the runway at Larnaca Airport in Larnaca, Cyprus , March 29, 2016. [Photo/ China Daily] |
The hijacker had claimed to be wearing an explosive belt when he hijacked the plane.
The Egyptian aviation minister said, the hijacker hasn't worn any explosive device, and investigations will show his real motives.
"The authorities would question hijacker to ascertain his true motives," Fathy added.
Meanwhile Egypt Prime Minister asserted that the hijacker was identified as Egyptian.
"He wasn't professional, and some phone calls by the hijacker focused on personal demands, he had asked to meet EU officials, but there was nothing specific," the PM Sherif Ismael added.
EgyptAir flight No. 181 was on a domestic flight from the coastal city of Alexandria to capital Cairo. It carried 55 passengers, Fathy said.
The plane that was hijacked and diverted to Cyprus landed in Larnaca Airport at 07:50 (local time), he added.
The hijacker had not made any concrete demands, the minister previously said.
The plane was carrying 21 foreigners -- eight Americans, four Dutch citizens, four Britons and a French citizen and four Greek, -- in addition to a Syrian national, an Egyptian Civil Aviation Ministry statement said.
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Passengers wait for a bus to Paphos at the Larnaca airport in Larnaca, Cyprus, March 29, 2016. The women and children on a hijacked Egyptian plane have been released after it landed in Larnaca, Cyprus, Cypriot authorities said Tuesday. Larnaca airport has been closed and arriving planes are being redirected to Paphos in western Cyprus. (Xinhua/Zhang Zhang) |
"Egypt is sending a plane to Cyprus to pick up released passengers at 12:30 p.m. (local time)," the minister said.
Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades told reporters the incident appeared to be personally motivated.
"The hijacking is not terror-related," he told a news conference.
Early Tuesday, EgyptAir tweeted: "Our Flight MS181 is officially hijacked."
The Cyprus Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement that the flight "was hijacked and diverted to Larnaca international airport." The motive of the hijacking was not clear.
However, sources with the Egyptian Aviation Ministry told state TV that the hijacker asked the Cyrus authorities for political asylum.
On October 31 last year, a Russian airliner was downed over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board.
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