This is the moment an unidentified man posed next to an alleged hijacker who took passengers hostage on board an EgyptAir plane today.
The man, dressed in a pale blue shirt, smiled broadly as he posed for a photograph next to the passenger this afternoon.
Later, he was pictured with his arms above his head as he fled the plane at Larnaca airport.
The man - one of 56 passengers on flight MS181 - has yet to be identified but was seen running from the aircraft with three other men.
This comes as there were reports of four Brits, an Irishman and an American on the Cairo-bound plane.
Earlier, footage emerged of the suspected hijacker calmly passing his way through security before forcing an emergency landing and holding dozens of passengers hostage.
The man can be seen being patted down by airport security at Alexandria International Airport in Egypt.
Just minutes later the pilot of EgyptAir flight MS181 was ordered to divert the flight by a man claiming to be wearing a belt packed with explosives.
The plane - carrying 56 passengers and seven crew to the Egyptian capital Cairo - landed at Larnaca Airport in Cyprus around 20 minutes later and a six-and-a-half hour stand-off began.
The flight landed at around 8.30am local time (6.30am UK time) and was met by armed police on the runway.
The hijacker was identified by officials as Egyptian national Seif El Din Mustafa before a six-and-a-half hour stand-off was eventually brought to a peaceful end.
He was seen passing a letter out from the plane. He also reportedly asked to be put in contact with his ex-wife, who lives in Cyprus, among a host of demands.
An Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman said: "He is not a terrorist, he’s an idiot. Terrorists are crazy, but they are not stupid."
The woman, named as Marina Parashkou, arrived at the airport to speak with him after being asked by authorities to go to the airport to help end the stand-off.
Cypriot authorities later confirmed the man did not have any viable explosives on his person.
Four British people were believed to be on board. The UK Foreign Office has said it is in contact with Cypriot and Egyptian authorities.
An EgyptAir spokeswoman confirmed a hijacker had taken control of the plane and requested to land in Cyprus.
Dozens of passengers could be seen leaving the plane at around 10am local time (8am UK time).
Five more people were then seen leaving the plane at around 11.30am local time (9.30am UK time).
In dramatic scenes one hostage jumped to freedom from the cockpit window as the remaining four crew members and three foreign passengers were freed at around 3pm local time (1.30pm UK time).
The spokeswoman later confirmed: "Official sources at EgyptAir declared the release of all the hostages and the arrest of the hijacker."
Cyprus government spokesman Nikos Christodoulides also confirmed the end of the hijacking, tweeting: "The hijacker has just been arrested."
A motive for the hijacking remains unclear, but Cyprus president Nicos Anastasiades said it was "not something which has to do with terrorism".
Some reports suggested the incident was related to the hijacker's ex-wife, while others reported that he was asking for the release of political prisoners in Egypt.
The suspect's family are now also being questioned by police.
Eye-witnesses described seeing armed police carrying sniper rifles rushing through the airport terminal before passengers were evacuated by police.
All flights to and from Cyprus were cancelled during the stand-off.
A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman could not confirm whether any Britons were among the passengers.
He said: "We are in contact with the Cypriot and Egyptian authorities after a hijacked plane landed in Cyprus."
Anyone concerned about a UK national should contact the British Embassy in Cairo on 0020227916000.
Hijacker releases some passengers from EgyptAir plane at Larnaka Airport in Cyprus
No comments:
Post a Comment