EgyptAir plane hijacked by man wearing suicide belt forced to land in Cyprus

Updated

A man wearing a suicide belt has hijacked a passenger plane during a flight in Egypt and forced it to land in Cyprus.

The EgyptAir plane was taken over by at least one armed man while flying from Alexandria on Egypt's Mediterranean coast to the capital Cairo, the country's civil aviation authority said.

Reports have suggested that eight Britons and 10 American citizens were on board.

The plane landed at Larnaca airport where negotiations have led to the release of all the passengers, except for the crew and four foreigners, the airline said.

In a statement on Twitter, EgyptAir said there was a threat from a passenger with an explosive belt.

The Airbus was carrying 81 passengers, as well as seven crew.

Cypriot government officials said that after the plane, an Airbus A320, landed at Larnaca airport on Tuesday morning hijackers demanded that police vehicles move away from the aircraft.

One official said it "seems like there's more than one hijacker" on the plane.

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