An EgyptAir plane carrying 55 passengers from Borg El Arab airport in Alexandria to Cairo was hijacked and diverted to Cyprus on Tuesday morning.
Many passengers on flight MS181 were released following negotiations with the hijacker, who has not yet been officially named, but seven people still remain on board at 11:30 a.m. local time.
The hijacker said he was wearing a suicide belt, Egypt's aviation minister said during a press conference at 11:30 a.m. local time. Officials were unsure if the belt was real or not, but were acting as if it was real, he added. The minister would not confirm the nationality of the hijacker or his demands.
The Cypriot president, Nicos Anastasiades, said that the hijacker wanted to see his former wife, and ruled out terrorism as a motive for taking over the plane.
Speaking at a meeting with the President of the European Parliament, he said: "We are doing our utmost in order for everyone to be released and safe and to give an end to this unprecedented [incident]. In any case it is not something which has to do with terrorism."
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