EgyptAir plane hijacked to Cyprus, most passengers freed

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

LARNACA, March 29 (Reuters) - A man thought to be strapped with explosives hijacked an Egyptian plane on a flight between Alexandria and Cairo on Tuesday and forced it to land in Cyprus, Egyptian officials said.


After the EgyptAir plane landed at Larnaca airport, the hijacker released all the people onboard except five foreign passengers and the crew, EgyptAir said.


About 60 people, including seven crew, had been onboard, Egyptian and Cypriot officials said.


"The negotiations with the hijacker have resulted in the release of all the plane passengers with the exception of the crew and five foreigners," the airline said in a statement.


Egypt's Civil Aviation Ministry said the plane's pilot, Omar al-Gammal, had informed authorities that he was threatened by a passenger wearing a suicide explosives belt and forced him to land in Larnaca.


A Cyprus Foreign Ministry official said he could not confirm the man was rigged with explosives. The hijacking occurred in Cyprus's flight information region.


The plane was an Airbus 320, Egypt's aviation ministry said.


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