This Article is From Mar 29, 2016

EgyptAir Hijacker Demands To See Estranged Cypriot Wife: Official

EgyptAir Hijacker Demands To See Estranged Cypriot Wife: Official

there were 26 foreigners on board, including eight Americans, four Britons, four Dutch, two Belgians, a French national, an Italian, two Greeks and one Syrian.

Larnaca: The hijacker of an EgyptAir plane diverted to Cyprus has an estranged Cypriot wife he has demanded to see and who is being brought to Larnaca airport, a government source said.

The woman lives in the village of Oroklini not far from the airport, the source told AFP.

The hijacker wanted the aircraft to be flown to Istanbul but was told by the captain that he did not have enough fuel for the journey.

The spokesman, Hossam al-Queish, also told the private CBC TV network that authorities could not confirm that the hijacker, identified as Egyptian national Ibrahim Samaha, had explosives on him.

The channel also showed a photo of Samaha standing in what appears to be the back of an aircraft. He was said to be a doctor.

The director of the Alexandria airport, Hossni Hassan, says there were 26 foreigners on board, including eight Americans, four Britons, four Dutch, two Belgians, a French national, an Italian, two Greeks and one Syrian. He said three other foreigners could not be identified.

The man thought to be strapped with explosives hijacked the Egyptian plane on a flight between Alexandria and Cairo on Tuesday and forced it to land in Cyprus.

After the EgyptAir plane landed at Larnaca airport, the hijacker released all the people on board except four foreign passengers and the crew, EgyptAir said.
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