EgyptAir hijack: Hijacker surrenders at Larnaca airport
(35 minutes later)
Most of the passengers and crew who were on board a hijacked Egyptian plane diverted to Cyprus have been freed.
The hijacking of a domestic Egyptian flight that was forced it to divert to Larnaca airport in Cyprus has ended with all hostages being released and the hijacker surrendering.
EgyptAir Flight MS181 was taken over after a passenger claimed to be wearing a suicide explosive belt.
EgyptAir Flight MS181 was taken over by a passenger claiming to be wearing a suicide explosive belt.
Cypriot officials have named him as Seif Eldin Mustafa. Reports say he wants to talk to his estranged wife in Cyprus, and the Cypriot president says the hijack is not a terrorist incident.
In a tweet, the Cypriot foreign ministry said: "It's over. The hijacker arrested."
But others say he is demanding the release of female prisoners in Egypt.
The motive behind the hijacking remains unclear.
Egypt's Civil Aviation Minister Sherif Fathy told a news conference that seven people remained on board the jet.
Some reports saying the man wanted to talk to his estranged Cypriot wife, while others said he was seeking the release of female prisoners in Egypt.
Live updates
The situation ended when the hijacker, reportedly an Egyptian, was seen walking down the steps of the aircraft with his hands raised.
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.
It came shortly after several people were seen fleeing the aircraft. One - apparently a crew member - escaped by climbing out of the aircraft's cockpit window.
But later EgyptAir tweeted that nine people remained on board, including three passengers and the hijacker, with a separate statement from the airline mentioning that "four foreign passengers" were still on board.
The plane had been surrounded by police since it landed at Larnaca several hours earlier on Tuesday morning.
And the latest pictures from the scene showed four people leaving the aircraft - one of whom appeared to jump from a cockpit window. The other three were able to leave by the main door and walk down the steps.
A statement from the civil aviation ministry said the 26 foreigners originally 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.
Mr Fathy 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 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."
Local media reports say the hijacker handed over a four-page letter in Arabic after the plane landed at Larnaca, and that a woman thought to be his wife is currently being questioned by police at the airport.
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.
Larnaca airport, on the south coast of Cyprus, has been closed and scheduled flights diverted elsewhere.
Are you at Larnaca airport? Have you been you affected by this story? Email us: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
Are you at Larnaca airport? Have you been you affected by this story? Email us: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:
