Egypt Airlines hijacker arrested, no casualties

The hostage crisis in Cyprus ended after almost six hours. Egyptian officials confirmed that all hostages on the Egypt Airlines plane have been released, reports the Patria News Agency.

The EgyptAir plane, flight MS181, was flying from Alexandria to Cairo when the hijacker, threatening with a bomb, forced the pilots to divert the aircraft to Cyprus.

The plane landed in Larnaca, where the hijacker demanded stairs and for police and army units, which were ready to respond, to stay away. Shortly after landing, which occurred at 7:46 AM our time, a number of passengers, mostly women and children, were released from the plane.

According to local media, the hijacker also requested four papers with text to be sent to an unknown address in Cyprus. It was later confirmed that the text was intended for his ex-wife who lives near Larnaca.

The man who hijacked a passenger plane this morning and diverted it to Cyprus emerged from the aircraft with his hands raised and was arrested, Cypriot state media reported.

The motives for the hijacking are unclear for now, but judging by media reports and official statements, it is not related to terrorism, but to personal reasons.

There were 55 passengers and seven crew members on the plane, which was hijacked this morning around 8 AM, and the crisis ended without casualties.