Egyptian plane hijacking not linked to terrorism—Cyprus president

A bus carrying some passengers from the hijacked EgyptAir aircraft as it landed at Larnaca airport Tuesday, March 29, 2016. The EgyptAir plane was hijacked on Tuesday while flying from the Egyptian Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria to the capital, Cairo, and later landed in Cyprus where some of the women and children were allowed to get off the aircraft, according to Egyptian and Cypriot officials. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

LARNACA, Cyprus — Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said that the hijacking of an EgyptAir plane by an Egyptian man on Tuesday was not related to terrorism.

The man’s motivation was unclear, but Anastasiades said the hijacking was “not something that has to do with terrorism” and a Cyprus government official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, said the man “seems (to be) in love.”

A civil aviation official, also speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t allowed to disclose details of ongoing negotiations, said the man gave negotiators the name of a woman who lives in Cyprus and asked to give her an envelope. It’s unclear what relationship she and the man have.

The man hijacked the plane and forced it to land in Cyprus, where most passengers were eventually allowed to get off, though the crew remained on board, Egyptian and Cypriot officials said.

READ: Egyptian plane hijacked, taken to Cyprus; passengers released

Flight MS181 took off from the Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria en route to Cairo with at least 55 passengers, including 26 foreigners, and a seven-member crew.

An official with flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 said the plane showed no immediate signs of distress. The flight between Alexandria and Cairo normally takes about 30 minutes.

Egyptian government spokesman Hossam al-Queish identified the man who hijacked the plane as Ibrahim Samaha. Al-Queish also told the private CBC TV network that authorities could not confirm that Samaha had explosives on him. An earlier statement from the Egyptian Aviation Ministry statement said the man claimed he had a belt with explosives.

Officials at the Egyptian airport of Bourg el-Arab airport just outside Alexandria said Samaha, a veterinarian, is a dual Egyptian-American citizen.

The plane landed at the airport in the southern Cypriot city of Larnaca, also on the Mediterranean. A statement from the Egyptian Civil Aviation Ministry statement said the foreigners on board included eight Americans, four Britons, four Dutch, two Belgians, a French national, an Italian, two Greeks and one Syrian. Three other foreigners could not be identified.

The incident raises more questions about security at Egyptian airports, five months after a Russian aircraft crashed over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula minutes after it took off from Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

All 224 people on board were killed in the crash. Russia later said an explosive device brought down the aircraft and the extremist Islamic State group took responsibility.