A hijacker who claimed to be wearing an explosive belt forced an Egyptian passenger jet to land in Cyprus on Tuesday with 55 passengers on board.
Egypt's civil aviation minister Sherif Fathy said after negotiations all but seven people were allowed to leave the plane, which was originally due to fly from Alexandria to Cairo. Those who remained included four crew members and three passengers.
Fathy declined to identify the hijacker and said he had not made any concrete demands.
Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said the hijacking was not related to terrorism.