Israeli jets scrambled after ‘hijacked’ plane forced to land in Cyprus

Israeli jets were scrambled briefly, after an EgyptAir plane was ‘hijacked’ and forced it to land in Cyprus.

The Egyptian hijacker’s motivation is unclear, but Cypriot president Nicos Anastasiades said it was nothing to do with terrorism, while a Cyprus government official said the man “seems (to be) in love”.

Following reports of the hijacking, Israel scrambled jets to secure the country’s airspace.

“IDF planes were called up in light of the hijacking of an Egyptian plane to ensure Israeli airspace was not breached. When the plane landed in Cyprus, they returned to their base,” the spokesperson said, in the Times of Israel.

A civil aviation official said the man gave negotiators at Larnaca airport the name of a woman who lives in Cyprus and asked to give her an envelope. It is unclear what relationship she and the man have.

Flight MS181 took off from the Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria en route to Cairo with at least 55 passengers, including 26 foreigners, and a seven-member crew.

An official with flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 said the plane showed no immediate signs of distress. The flight between Alexandria and Cairo normally takes about 30 minutes.

Egyptian government spokesman Hossam al-Queish identified the man who hijacked the plane as Ibrahim Samah.

Mr Al-Queish told the CBC TV network that authorities could not confirm that Samah had explosives on him. An earlier statement from the Egyptian Aviation Ministry statement said the man claimed he was wearing an explosive belt.

The plane landed at the airport in the southern Cypriot city of Larnaca, also on the Mediterranean.

The Egyptian civil aviation ministry said the foreigners on board included eight Americans, four Britons, four Dutch, two Belgians, a French national, an Italian, two Greeks and one Syrian. Three other foreigners could not be identified.

The incident raises more questions about security at Egyptian airports, five months after a Russian aircraft crashed over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula minutes after it took off from Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

All 224 people on board were killed in the crash. Russia later said an explosive device brought down the aircraft and the extremist Islamic State group took responsibility.

EgyptAir is offering those concerned about their loved ones possibly being on the flight several telephone numbers to call for more information.