EgyptAir hijack: Man held after using fake suicide belt

An Egyptian hijacker who forced a domestic flight to land in Cyprus used a fake suicide belt, officials said.

planeHis motives remain unclear but the Cypriot president said the incident was not terrorism-related.

Footage released by Egypt’s interior ministry shows the man passing through several security checks at Alexandria’s Borg El Arab airport.

The drama ended with all passengers released unhurt at Larnaca airport and the man giving himself up.

Cypriot officials named the hijacker as Seif Eldin Mustafa and said he was “psychologically unstable”.

Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said Mustafa had initially asked to speak with his Cypriot ex-wife, who police brought to the airport, before making a series of “incoherent” demands.

Police in Cairo were questioning Mustafa’s relatives, AP news agency reported.

The Egyptair plane left Larnaca at 22:05 local time (19:05 GMT) bound for Cairo, its original destination.

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