Skip to main content

Hijacked Egyptair plane: Fake bomber arrested as four escape flight MS181


A policeman stands guard at Larnaca Airport near a hijacked Egyptair A320Yiannis Kourtoglou/ Reuters

Police in at Larnaca airport in Cyprus have arrested a hijacker who took control of Egyptair flight MS181 en route to Cairo from Alexandria.
All 81 passengers including four foreign nationals and crew members, held for several hours as hostages, are free and safe.
At the conclusion of the stand off four individuals fled the plane before the hijacker gave himself up.

Cypriot authorities have identified the hijacker as Seif el-Din Mustafa, an Egyptian national.

Mustafa told crew on the plane he had a bomb; it later emerged the device he was later shown wearing in pictures was a fake.

Egypt's civil aviation minister has said investigations will be made into the hijacking and whether or not security measures failed.

Map showing the route of diverted flight MS181 after its hijacking while en route to CairoIBTimes UK 17 hr 15:51

This concludes IBTimes UK's live coverage of the Larnaca hostage crisis. For the latest new on this issue, click here.
18 hr 15:01

The British Foreign Office has confirmed in statement that British nationals were caught up in today's hijacking events and added it is giving consular assistance.

"We are relieved that the situation at Larnaca Airport has now come to a safe conclusion. We are providing consular support to British Nationals caught up in today's events," the government ministry said in statement.

"We remain in close contact with the Cypriot and Egyptian authorities," it added.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Four Armed Robbery Suspects Killed In Shootout With Police In Songwe

  “This is Vwawa Bus Stand, where the incident occurred in which armed robbers shot and killed a security guard before fleeing with various items.” Songwe. Four suspected armed robbers have been shot dead following a confrontation with police in Songwe Region after allegedly being involved in a violent raid on a mobile phone and financial services shop in Vwawa town, Mbozi District, in which a security guard was killed. According to a statement issued today, December 30, 2025, by the Songwe Regional Police Commander, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SACP) Augustino Senga, the incident occurred at around 3:30 a.m. The suspects reportedly stormed the shop, owned by businessman Gabriel Msemwa, at the Vwawa main bus stand, killed the guard, William Mwampashi (45), and fled with assorted items. The deceased suspects have been identified as Bruce Mwasenga, Eliuta Mapunda, Abdul Chiba, and Justine, known by a single name. SACP Senga said police immediately launched intensive, inte...

JAB Yawasogeza Huduma Waandishi Iringa, Yaomba Ushirikiano Kudhibiti Waandishi Wasioidhinishwa

Iringa. Bodi ya Ithibati ya Waandishi wa Habari (JAB) imeendelea na jitihada za kusogeza huduma zake kwa waandishi wa habari nchini, safari hii ikifika katika Klabu ya Waandishi wa Habari Iringa (Iringa Press Club – IPC), ikiwa ni sehemu ya mkakati wa kuboresha tasnia ya habari na kulinda taaluma ya uandishi wa habari. Akizungumza wakati wa kikao na waandishi wa habari mkoani Iringa, Kaimu Mkurugenzi Mkuu wa Bodi ya Ithibati ya Waandishi wa Habari (JAB), Wakili Patrick Kipangula, amesema lengo la ziara hiyo ni kutoa elimu kuhusu majukumu ya bodi, mchakato wa ithibati pamoja na kusikiliza changamoto zinazowakabili waandishi wa habari ngazi ya mikoa. Wakili Kipangula amesema bado kuna changamoto ya uwepo wa watu wanaojihusisha na shughuli za uandishi wa habari bila kuwa na ithibati halali, hali inayochafua tasnia na kuhatarisha maadili ya kazi hiyo nyeti. “Tunawaomba waandishi wa habari kushirikiana na Bodi kwa kuwafichua watu wanaojitambulisha kama waandishi bila kuwa na ithiba...

MUCE IMPLEMENTS SH18.6 BILLION PROJECT IN HONOUR OF FATHER OF THE NATION’S VISION

Iringa. As Tanzania marks 26 years since the passing of the Father of the Nation, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere — a passionate advocate for education — Mkwawa University College of Education (MUCE), a constituent college of the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), continues to successfully implement the Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) Project worth over Sh18.6 billion. Speaking to journalists in Iringa, MUCE Principal Prof Method Samwel Semiono said the project, implemented by the government through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, aims to reform the higher education system so it can directly contribute to the country’s economic transformation. “The five-year project (2021/2022–2025/2026) is funded by the World Bank and focuses on curriculum improvement, infrastructure development, human resource capacity building, inclusive education and gender equality, as well as promoting the use of ICT and digital learning,” explained Prof Semiono. He no...