A man reportedly strapped with explosives has hijacked a passenger plane – with conflicting reports over the demands he is making.
Police snipers are at the scene as three passengers and at least four crew continue to be held on the EgyptAir plane, which landed at Larnaca Airport in Cyprus after being diverted.
The nearby Makenzy Beach, which is popular with tourists, has been evacuated as negotiations continue.
There are also security concerns in Cairo, where another EgyptAir flight has reportedly been cancelled in connection with the hostage situation.
The hijacker – named as Seif Eldin Mustafa – allowed most hostages to disembark.
The Cyprus foreign ministry described Mustafa as “unstable” and said he appeared to be Egyptian.
It added that the incident was not terror related.
There are reports the hijacker has asked to see his ex-wife, who is said to live in the nearby village of Oroklini.
Witnesses told state TV they saw the hijacker throw a letter on to the tarmac and demand it be delivered to his estranged wife.
However, the Cypriot state broadcaster is saying the man wants female prisoners in Egypt to be released.
Egypt’s civil aviation minister claimed no demands had been
The A320 plane departed on an internal flight from Alexandria in Egypt.
A hijacker contacted the control tower and the plane was given permission to land.
As the news emerged the Cypriot Civil Aviation Ministry said “a passenger wearing a suicide belt told (the pilot) he had an explosives vest”.
A crisis team including ambulances was deployed to the airport.
EgyptAir tweeted: “The negotiations with the hijacker have resulted in the release of all the plane passengers with the exception of the crew and four foreigners.”
As well four Britons and one Irish citizen, the 26 foreigners on board included eight Americans, four Dutch, two Belgians, a French national, an Italian, two Greeks and one Syrian.
