Egypt Air Flight Hijack?
 

Some press reports of an Egypt Air flight from Alexandria to Cairo being hijacked and directed to Cyprus

Apparently now landed in Larnaca, Cyprus.

1 hijacker confirmed. Stairs have been requested.

France 24 News in English has said that the plane was "kidnapped". I think I know what they meant...

Sky News reporting a suspected bomb onboard.

German Media (N24) reports: "A320 from Egypt Air"

The Guardian is reporting it as MS181: Hijacked EgyptAir passenger plane lands in Cyprus ? reports | World news | The Guardian

"The website Sigma Live reports that it is flight MS181 from Alexandria to Cairo with 81 people on board, adding that the Larnaca airport control tower received a message at 8.30 A.M. and that the plane made an emergency landing at 8:50 A.M."




- just when Egypt has been attempting to demonstrate security is strong at its airports. If it cannot adequately prove it now, it never can.

Our flight MS181 is officially hijacked. we'll publish an official statement now. #Egyptair

from their official twitter account.

Reportedly the hijacker is wearing a bomb belt around his waist. Whether it is a real one remains to be seen.
(Source: pax on board, see av herald)

Looks like PFO is filling up already.

Sky reporting that hijacker is a suicide bomber with explosives strapped to his waist. How the hell did that lot get through security???

Man 'Strapped With Explosives' Hijacks Plane

If true yet again another example of poor security standards at Egyptian airports. No wonder the UK government is shy of resuming flights to SSH. Another nail for Egyptian tourism.

Poor choice of destination by the hijacker.

Remind me - who is based just around the corner in Dhekelia?

Egyptair usually carry sky marshalls on their flights, at least they did when I flew from LHR-LXR and back last year.

I very much doubt there's a suicide bomber onboard. I'd be very surprised if there were any explosives or weaponry at all onboard.

What concerns me is the fuelling. They fuelled for a short hop. Yet ended up travelling an awful lot further than they were fuelled for. It could have been another Ethiopian 961, particularly given the sea crossing.

FR24:
https://twitter.com/flightradar24/st...13473389830144

Maybe none did. Surely you're not suggesting that a flight attendant grabbed the handy onboard explosives testing kit, asked the hijacker to hand the belt over to be examined, and carefully scrutinized the hijacker's "goods"?

Just what do you expect security to do when a man shows up with a carry-on bag containing, say, some empty belt pouches, some newspapers or magazines, a corded electric razor, and his car keys? Making a convincing looking suicide belt doesn't require anything that suspicious.

Must be easy to get on an aircraft with an explosive belt these days. If it isn't , then the belt is fake.

acc. to BBC: (i) "up to 40" pax freed from plane (ii) flight originated in Saudi Arabia. It may be premature to blame Egyptian security. Egypt plane hijacked - latest - BBC News

Somebody just blow the fin off the aircraft, much easier to deal with the situation in Cyprus than a re-fuelled airbus with a range that could cause untold damage somewhere else!

The hijacker has asked to talk to a woman from a nearby village. He hand a 4 pages latter to the authorities and the woman is already at the airport to speak to him.

Just couple days after Egyptians claim that security check was improved after Kogalymair...

Allegedly, he is a Libyan formerly married to a Cypriot (the recipient of the letter).

In the last 10 days I have been through security at Alexandria, Cairo and Hurghada. In every case security was very high, body searches, repeat hand luggage scanning. I just cannot see how a vest or anything remotely explosive based could get through at any of those airports using the pax boarding route.

Press Release 1
Cairo 29 March 2016

An EGYPTAIR official declared that its flight number MS181 heading from HBE Airport (Borg El- Arab Airport in Alexandria) to Cairo Airport was already diverted to Larnaca airport in Cyprus as the aircraft was hijacked. The aircraft is an Airbus A320 with 56 pax onboard in addition to 7 crew members and one EGYPTAIR security member. The aircraft landed safely at Larnaca
EGYPTAIR confirms that it is following up with the concerned authorities in Cyprus through EGYPTAIR IOCC and negotiations are undergoing with the hijacker.
EGYPTAIR will update you with any news within one hour.

source: https://www.facebook.com/EGYPTAIR/po...86655934683903

Sky News is reporting that Samaha (the hijacker) "requested to land in Turkey but fuel shortage led to the plane having to land in Cyprus."

Officially described as 'not a terrorist - a love-sick idiot'.
EgyptAir hijacker at Cyprus airport 'wants to contact ex-wife' ? live | World news | The Guardian

RTlive showed footage of pax boarding a transit bus.

Claims the hijacker wants a letter to be given to his ex-wife who lives in Larnaca. Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades says Egypt plane hijacking not related to "terrorism"

Also reported the hijacker holds U.S citizenship and is a Professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Atlanta, United States. :confused:

Here in Cyprus it is being reported that the Cyprus president, Anastasiades ruled out terrorism being behind the hijacking confirming instead that it had been instigated by a love-sick man bent on reuniting with his former Cypriot wife. “It’s all to do with a woman,” said the Cypriot president. “We are doing everything to release the hostages.”

While officials at Egypt’s ministry of foreign affairs responded to reports that the hijacker’s motives are personal, saying they were aware of the reports that he is seeking asylum and discussing his ex wife. “He’s not a terrorist, he’s an idiot. Terrorists are crazy but they aren’t stupid. This guy is,” they said.

Cyprus Mail updated with the official announcement from Egypt Air

http://cyprus-mail.com/2016/03/29/hi...a-police-says/

All pax & Crew now safely off the A/C. The only person remaining on the A/C is the hijacker. As an aside, David Learmont interviewed on BBC2 as an 'aviation expert' saying the Egyptair Capt. was "at fault for believing the hijacker really had an explosive belt & that he should have had faith in airport security & just carried on to his destination". Bet he didn't have any family on that flight!!

That's all right then ... whatever the reason it's a hijack and the consequences should be the same.

Wasn't there a situation in the UK (Stansted I believe a number of years ago) where the hijackers were eventually given leave to remain. Utter lunacy.

If I understand it correctly this man was in the FD; anyone clarify that? If that's right how on earth did that happen?

For Egyptian aviation to survive this man will need to be made an example of - I do not foresee a happy end for him.

I see contradictory messages, first he would liked to be landing in Turkey and now suddenly it seems to be a love story with a landing in LCLK. If so, this makes it perfectly clear why she is his ex-wife.

From the BBC News Website

"Aviation expert David Learmont tells the BBC that the pilot should not have followed the hijacker's instructions.

'We are seeing something extraordinary. That captain who accepted, just on being told that somebody on board had a suicide vest, should have had sufficient confidence in the security services to know that that was impossible and therefore he should not have followed the instructions of the hijacker.'

David Learmont
Aviation expert"

And what he presented as a proof of his intent to harm the plane if they not obey?

I suspect that the passengers on the Russian aircraft brought down out of Sharm had the same confidence as David Learmount in Egyptian security procedures. Glad to hear that this appears not to have been a 'terrorist' incident and that apparently all crew and pax released.

From the Guardian, about the press conference by the Egyptian aviation minister:

Why, the minister is asked, did the plane’s captain yield to the demands of a hijacker who might possibly have had a fake suicide belt? That, he responds, is a matter for a later investigation, once the urgent situation is over. The press conference ends.

That makes a lot more sense than Mr Learmount's daft suggestion.

I'm no airline captain, but I know even less about analysing alleged suicide belts ...

That's me personally saying that, but exactly the same thoughts should occur to Mr L. I thought airline pilots were taught to assess risk, and then scrupulously avoid it. Prat.

Blimey, now they are saying it is politically motivated.

Any link to that jortheo? Almost every report of this incident here says something different, about the hijacker, his 'wife', the passengers ...

Latest from BBC: -

Hijacker demands release of prisoners in Egypt.

3 passengers still on board.

Edit: - Hijacker now asking for asylum in Cyprus.