'He's not a terrorist, he's an idiot': Egyptian minister condemns ‘American’ hijacker who forced jet to land in Cyprus so he can see his ex-wife as she is brought in to negotiate
- EgyptAir jet hijacked by man in bomb vest from Alexandria to Cairo
- 'US-Egyptian citizen' Ibrahim Samaha demands to see Cypriot ex-wife
- Passengers include eight British and ten American citizens
- The plane made an emergency landing on Cyprus Tuesday morning
- Majority of passengers released, foreigners and crew still on plane
The Egyptian-American man holding 11 people, including four 'foreigners', hostage on a passenger jet after hijacking the plane with a suicide vest, has been branded an 'idiot' by his foreign ministry.
Unconfirmed reports suggest the four passengers to be two British citizens, one Italian and one Irish man, being held alongside the flight crew.
University professor Ibrahim Samaha has asked negotiators at Larnaca airport for political asylum - and demanded to see his Cypriot ex-wife who lives on the island.
Hijack Romeo: This picture reportedly show hijacker Ibrahim Samaha, 27, who has asked negotiators at Larnaca airport for asylum - and demanded to see his Cypriot ex-wife
How cheesy: This image shows the moment 'dairy professor' Samaha hands over the letter intended for his ex-wife, as a female airport offical stands with her head in her hands
Released: The Egyptian Foreign Ministry has rubbished claims that Samaha is a terrorist, saying: 'Terrorists are crazy but they aren't stupid. This guy is'
A picture from the tarmac shows the moment Samaha hands over a four-page letter intended for his ex-wife, as a female official stands with her head in her hands.
Airport officials are onboard the plane and have yet to find any explosives, as Samaha's ex-wife is said to be making her way to Larnaca to help with negotiations.
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The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement: 'He's not a terrorist, he's an idiot. Terrorists are crazy but they aren't stupid. This guy is,' according to Cairo-based journalist Ruth Michaelson.
Ibrahim Abdel Tawab Samaha was identified as the hijacker by Egyptian government spokesman Hossam al-Queish, who said there had been no confirmation that his bomb vest was real.
Officials at the Egyptian airport of Bourg el-Arab airport just outside Alexandria said Samaha has dual US-Egyptian citizenship.
He works as professor of veterinary medicine at Alexandria University, where a staff website explains that he specialises in health food control of milk and dairy products.
Hijacked: The EgyptAir was enroute to Cairo, carrying 62 people - including eight Brits and ten Americans - when it was hijacked by a man in an explosive vest
An official boards a hijacked Egyptair A320 Airbus at Larnaca Airport in, Cyprus, to negotiate with the hijacker, who has since been identified as Ibrahim Samaha
Passengers are reunited with their luggage on the tarmac after being allowed off the plane, where the crew and four hostages are reportedly still being held
Egyptian media reports that he ordered the pilot to fly to Turkey but was told they did not have enough fuel
EgyptAir MS181, carrying 62 people, including eight Brits and ten Americans, was en-route from Alexandria to Cairo when it was hijacked, forcing it to land on Cyprus.
Negotiations with Samaha has since resulted in the release of a majority of the hostages, except for the crew and four foreigners, EgyptAir said.
The nationalities of the hostages have not yet been confirmed, but The Guardian reported them to be two Brits, one Italian and one Irish man.
The hijacking of the plane, carrying 55 passengers and a crew of seven, was confirmed by EgyptAir on Twitter at 7.40am GMT.
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.
The plane diverted to Cyprus after the captain, Omar Jamal, was alerted to the presence of a passenger who was wearing an explosive belt.
Egyptian newsite Youm7 is reporting that Samaha ordered the pilot to fly to Turkey but was told they did not have enough fuel.
Ibrahim Samaha, believed to be a 27-year-old Egyptian national, continues to hold the crew and four passengers of unknown nationalities hostage on the tarmac
Emergency landing: The Egypt Air jet was en-route from Alexandria to Cairo when it was reportedly hijacked
After leaving Alexandria the plane was diverted from it's route to Cairo, and flown to Cyprus
A statement from the Egyptian Civil Aviation Ministry statement 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 plane landed at Larnaca airport at around 8.50am (6.50am GMT), police in Cyprus said.
Cypriot government officials said that after the plane landed, the hijackers demanded that police vehicles move away from the aircraft.
Questions have been raised as to how the hijacker was able to embark on the plane wearing the suicide vest.
Egyptian authorities promised to tighten airport security in the wake of the downing of a Russian Metrojet airplane in October last year, where all 224 passengers died.
Investigations later found that explosives had been smuggled onto the Airbus A321-231, most likely at Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport, which then crashed minutes after it took off from the Red Sea resort.
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