The Hijacked EgyptAir plane on the Larnaca, Cyprus tarmac

The hijacker of the EgyptAir plane has been arrested, a  Cyprus government spokesman said thus ending the drama which began this morning.

The hijacker whose identity changed from being Ibrahim Samaha to Seid Eldin Mustafa diverted  EgyptAir flight MS181 moving from Alexandria to Cairo.

Passengers, crew of hijacked EgyptAir plane safe, said Cyprus’ aviation minister.

The hijacker: Seid Eldin Mustafa

Apart from demanding that a letter to his former wife be sent to her, he also demanded that Egypt free an unspecified number of female prisoners.

An Egyptian spokesman called him an ‘idiot’ and not a terrorist.

After the aircraft landed at Larnaca  airport, the hijacker released everyone onboard except three passengers and four crew following negotiations, Civil Aviation Minister Sherif Fathy said. He declined to give their nationalities.

Eighty-one people, including 21 foreigners and 15 crew, had been onboard the Airbus 320, Egypt’s Civil Aviation Ministry said in a statement.

He had also asked to get in touch with European Union officials, CyBC reported, citing a letter the hijacker dropped onto the apron at Larnaca airport.

The plane remained on the tarmac at Laranca throughout the morning while Cypriot security forces took up positions around the scene.

Security sources in Egypt said a separate New York-bound flight from Cairo was delayed due to security fears related to the hijacking. They gave no more details.