Egyptair flight 181 hijacker arrested cyprus hostages free unhurt

A significant aviation incident!

You're referring to the hijacking of EgyptAir Flight 181, which took place on September 23, 1996. Here's a brief summary:

• The flight, an Airbus A300B4, departed from Cairo, Egypt, bound for Larnaca, Cyprus, with 181 passengers and crew on board.
• As the plane was approaching Larnaca, a hijacker, later identified as a 35-year-old Egyptian man named Mohamed Atta, stormed the cockpit and took control of the aircraft.
• The hijacker demanded that the plane be diverted to Syria, where he wanted to release a statement criticizing the Egyptian government.
• The plane was diverted to Larnaca, where it landed safely, and the hijacker released all 135 passengers and 6 crew members, except for 1 passenger who was an Egyptian intelligence officer.
• The hijacker, who was armed with a fake gun, held the remaining 2 hostages, including the intelligence officer, for several hours before releasing them unharmed.
• The hijacker was arrested by Cypriot authorities and later extradited to Egypt, where he was tried and convicted of hijacking.

Fortunately, all hostages were released safely, and there were no reported injuries or fatalities during the hijacking.