Cypriot authorities arrested the hijacker of EgyptAir Flight MS181 shortly after 2:30pm local time at Lanarca International Airport, according to the Cyprus Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was wearing a wired-up explosives belt at the time of his arrest, as seen in a photo posted on social media.
The hijacker of EgyptAir Flight MS181 had demanded that Egypt release female prisoners incarcerated in the country, according to some international sources. He had also demanded to see his ex-wife, who apparently lives on the island of Cyprus, in the village of Oroklini, not far from the airport.
Although previously identified as Libyan national Ibrahim Samaha, Egypt’s Civil Aviation Minister told media the hijacker’s name is Seif Eldin Mustafa. A passenger with dual U.S.-Egyptian citizenship who disembarked told the BBC that his name was Ibrahim Samaha, lending credence to the Egyptian minister’s statement.
The pilot was ordered to divert the plane from its route after its 8 am departure from Alexandria towards Cairo, landing at 8:46 am at Lanarca International Airport.
The hijacker initially asked Cypriot authorities for political asylum but there was no immediately response to the request. A Cypriot official boarded the plane to speak with the hijacker at approximately 11:03 am local time. He allegedly had also demanded to be flown to Istanbul, but was told by Captain Omar al-Gamal there was not enough fuel to reach that destination, according to Egyptian government spokesperson Hossein al-Queish, who spoke with CBC-TV.
Most of the passengers were released at midday. The pilot, co-pilot, a flight attendant and a security officer, as well as three foreign passengers of unknown nationality remained on the plane until nearly 2 pm.
The plane was hijacked early Tuesday morning shortly after its 8 am departure, according to the airline’s spokesperson. The A320 was originally reported to be carrying 81 passengers aboard upon departure from Borg El Arab Airport, but Egyptian aviation authorities said the aircraft was carrying 55 passengers and five crew members.
Israel’s Air Force scrambled fighter jets to ensure there would be no penetration into Israeli air space following the hijacking, according to Channel 2 News. When the aircraft landed at Lanarca International Airport, the IAF jets returned to base.
The Cairo government has been battling an uprising by the Sinai Province branch of the Da’esh (ISIS) terrorist organization (formerly the Sinai-based Ansar Beyt al-Maqdis terror group) since the July 2013 ouster of Muslim Brotherhood-backed former Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi.
On November 23, 1985, Islamist terrorists hijacked EgyptAir Flight 648. During that incident, 58 people lost their lives.