The hijacking of a domestic Egyptian flight that forced it to divert to Larnaca airport in Cyprus has ended with all hostages being released and the hijacker surrendering, BBC reported.
After a morning of tension, the hijacker was seen walking down the steps of the aircraft with his hands raised.
Some reports saying the Egyptian man - named by Cypriot officials as Seif Eldin Mustafa - wanted to talk to his estranged Cypriot wife, while others said he was seeking the release of female prisoners in Egypt.
His surrender came shortly after several people were seen fleeing the aircraft. One - apparently a crew member - escaped by climbing out of the aircraft's cockpit window.
In a tweet, the Cypriot foreign ministry confirmed the end of the crisis: "It's over. The hijacker arrested."
Local media reports say the hijacker handed over a four-page letter in Arabic after the plane landed at Larnaca on Tuesday morning, and that a woman thought to be his wife had arrived at the airport.