A hijacker seized an Egyptian airliner on Tuesday and diverted it to Cyprus, triggering a hostage crisis at Larnaca airport on the south coast, Cypriot police said. Egyptian civil aviation said the hijacker had threatened to detonate an explosives belt. The hijacker contacted the control tower at 8:30 am (0530 GMT) and the plane was given permission to land at 8:50 am, Cyprus police said.
A crisis team was deployed to the airport, the main entry point for tourists to the Mediterranean resort island. The hijacker made no immediate demands and later allowed Egyptian passengers to disembark, Cypriot state television reported.