International

EgyptAir hijacker arrested

Published

8 years ago

March 29, 2016

The EgyptAir plane hostage situation at Larnaca airport in Cyprus has ended after the hijacker, an Egyptian national was arrested according to Cyprus Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Cypriot broadcasters reported the hijacker emerged from the Airbus 320, which had been travelling from Burg El Arab to Cairo, with his hands help up.

The hijacker with a bomb strapped to his chest hijacked the EgyptAir plane, (an Airbus 320) which was flying from Alexandria to Cairo but was forced to land at Larnaca airport in Cyprus.

The passengers on the plane including eight Britons and 10 Americans were freed by the hijacker while only the crew members and several foreigners remained on the hijacked plane before the hijacker was arrested.

The women and children who were allowed off the plane were all transferred by a bus made available by authorities of the airport.

According to Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CYBC), the plane was parked at an apron Larnaca airport in Cyprus while negotiations with the hijacker took place.

As a precaution in response to the hijacking, Israel scrambled warplanes in its airspace an Israeli military source revealed with Cyprus having seen little militant activity for decades, despite its proximity to the Middle East.

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