Seif Eldin Mustafa Is the Hijacker: Cyprus Foreign Ministry

Cyprus government names hijacker as Seif Eldin Mustafa, earlier mistaken to be Ibrahim Samaha.

An official makes a call from the ramp of a hijacked Egyptair A320 Airbus at Larnaca Airport, Cyprus. (Photo: Reuters)

Cyprus’ foreign ministry on Tuesday identified the hijacker of an EgyptAir flight forced to land in Cyprus as Seif Eldin Mustafa in a tweet. The ministry did not provide any further details.

“The situation is still ongoing,” it said. Earlier, two Cypriot broadcasters reported the hijacker had dropped a letter on the apron of Larnaca airport that appeared to be demanding the release of prisoners in Egypt.

Eygptian state media had earlier identified the hijacker as a different man.

Catch the live updates of the hijack ion The Quint