The Civil Aviation Ministry said that the pilot of the EgyptAir plane, Omar Al-Gammal, told the authorities he was threatened by a passenger with a suicide belt. However, it later emerged that information regarding explosives turned out to be false.
Egyptian state media say that the hijacker is an citizen of Egypt. He has been named as Ibrahim Samaha and was sitting in seat K38. According to the Greek television station Sky, the hijacker has demanded a translator and wants political asylum in Cyprus.
Witnesses said they saw the hijacker throwing a letter on to the apron of the airport, which was written in Arabic. The hijacker asked that it be delivered to his ex-wife, who is Cypriot, Reuters reports. It is understood that Samha is a professor of veterinary medicine at Alexandria University, according the educational facility’s website.
EgyptAir says that the release of all the passengers on board the aircraft has been agreed, except for four foreigners and crew members on the plane. There are believed to be between 15 and 20 people still left on the plane.
The aircraft is an A320-232; registration SU-GCB (CN 2079) belonging to EgyptAir.
It landed in Larnaca at 08:46 local time, with 81 passengers on board.
Larnaca Airport has been closed, while ambulances have been sent to the scene.
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