By — Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/egyptian-hijacker-in-custody-after-hours-long-standoff Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Egyptian hijacker in custody after hours-long standoff World Mar 29, 2016 9:41 AM EDT An Egyptian man who hijacked a passenger airplane and forced it to land in Cyprus gave himself up to authorities Tuesday after holding seven people on board for several hours. He surrendered at the Larnaca airport in southern Cyprus after earlier freeing most passengers. He kept three of the passengers and four crew members for five hours before letting them go as well. “All passengers and crew are safe,” said Civil Aviation Minister Sharif Fathi, reported the Associated Press. The man’s motives were unclear, but Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades said the hijacking was not terrorism-related. EgyptAir flight MS181 took off Tuesday morning from the coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt, bound for Cairo with 55 passengers and seven crew members. The man apparently diverted the plane to Larnaca airport, and most passengers were seen walking down the stairs from the airplane with their luggage. They boarded a bus that was waiting beside the aircraft. An unnamed Cyprus police official told the AP the man who apparently hijacked the plane was wearing a suicide belt but no explosives were on it. The official said the man had asked to speak with his former wife and also demanded the release of women from Egyptian jails. His ex-wife visited the airport and helped convince him to surrender, according to state media, the New York Times reported. The hijacker was later identified as Seifedeen Mustafa, an Egyptian living in Cyprus, which was confirmed by Cypriot officials. He was seen walking off the airplane with his hands raised. One of the passengers, Ben Innes, had his picture taken with the alleged hijacker. “I figured if his bomb was real I’d nothing lose anyway, so took a chance to get a closer look at it,” Innes said. Briton says photo with EgyptAir hijacker was ‘best selfie ever’ https://t.co/X8xbvaCfq0 pic.twitter.com/U7rJrqMmlC — ITV News (@itvnews) March 30, 2016 Among the passengers were 26 foreigners including Americans, Britons, Dutch, Belgians, French, Italian, Greeks and a Syrian. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Another Egyptian airplane will fly to Larnaca to retrieve the passengers, authorities said. Follow @NewsHourWorld We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko produced multimedia web features and broadcast reports with a focus on foreign affairs for the PBS NewsHour. She has reported in places such as Jordan, Pakistan, Iraq, Haiti, Sudan, Western Sahara, Guantanamo Bay, China, Vietnam, South Korea, Turkey, Germany and Ireland. @NewsHourWorld
An Egyptian man who hijacked a passenger airplane and forced it to land in Cyprus gave himself up to authorities Tuesday after holding seven people on board for several hours. He surrendered at the Larnaca airport in southern Cyprus after earlier freeing most passengers. He kept three of the passengers and four crew members for five hours before letting them go as well. “All passengers and crew are safe,” said Civil Aviation Minister Sharif Fathi, reported the Associated Press. The man’s motives were unclear, but Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades said the hijacking was not terrorism-related. EgyptAir flight MS181 took off Tuesday morning from the coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt, bound for Cairo with 55 passengers and seven crew members. The man apparently diverted the plane to Larnaca airport, and most passengers were seen walking down the stairs from the airplane with their luggage. They boarded a bus that was waiting beside the aircraft. An unnamed Cyprus police official told the AP the man who apparently hijacked the plane was wearing a suicide belt but no explosives were on it. The official said the man had asked to speak with his former wife and also demanded the release of women from Egyptian jails. His ex-wife visited the airport and helped convince him to surrender, according to state media, the New York Times reported. The hijacker was later identified as Seifedeen Mustafa, an Egyptian living in Cyprus, which was confirmed by Cypriot officials. He was seen walking off the airplane with his hands raised. One of the passengers, Ben Innes, had his picture taken with the alleged hijacker. “I figured if his bomb was real I’d nothing lose anyway, so took a chance to get a closer look at it,” Innes said. Briton says photo with EgyptAir hijacker was ‘best selfie ever’ https://t.co/X8xbvaCfq0 pic.twitter.com/U7rJrqMmlC — ITV News (@itvnews) March 30, 2016 Among the passengers were 26 foreigners including Americans, Britons, Dutch, Belgians, French, Italian, Greeks and a Syrian. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Another Egyptian airplane will fly to Larnaca to retrieve the passengers, authorities said. Follow @NewsHourWorld We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now