BREAKING News: EgyptAir Jet Carrying 82 Passengers is Hijacked by Man Wearing Suicide Vest

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BREAKING News: EgyptAir Jet Carrying 82 Passengers is Hijacked by Man Wearing Suicide Vest

An Egyptian passenger plane carrying British and U.S. citizens has made an emergency landing on Cyprus after being hijacked by a man wearing a suicide vest.

EgyptAir MS181 was en-route from Alexandria to Cairo when it requested permission to make an emergency landing at Larnaca Airport on Cyprus.

The Airbus 320 is reportedly carrying 62 people, including eight Brits and ten Americans, according to Egyptian media.

At least one man on the plane is believed to be armed, and explosives have been found onboard, Cypriot officials said.

The hijacking of the plane, carrying 55 passengers and a crew of seven, was confirmed by EgyptAir on Twitter at 7.40am GMT.

The plane diverted to Cyprus after a man on the flight threatened to detonate an explosives belt, Egypt's civil aviation authority said.

Hijackers demanded that authorities leave the runway 'in order to release women and children passengers', former EU Commissioner for Education, Androulla Vassiliou, tweeted.

Some 20 people have been allowed off the plane, but the hijacker is believed to still be holding more than 40 people hostage.

One armed hijacker took control of the Airbus A320 at 8.30am (6.30am GMT), police spokesman Andreas Angelides said.

The hijacking occurred in Cyprus's flight information region and the airliner was diverted to Larnaca, where the plane currently sits on the runway.