Return to Transcripts main page

Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

EgyptAir Flight Hijacked, Forced to Land in Cyprus; Hijacker Identified. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired March 29, 2016 - 05:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news right now: an EgyptAir flight has been hijacked.

[05:00:02] It was forced to land at an airport in Cyprus. We now know the ID of the hijacker who claimed that he is wearing an explosive belt. Some of the crew and several foreign passengers are still being held onboard that flight.

Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Alison Kosik.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Christine Romans. It is Tuesday, March 29th. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East.

We welcome all of our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world.

We do have some breaking news this morning. It is noon now in Cyprus where all but a handful of passengers and crew of a hijacked EgyptAir plane, they have been released. There are still people on board that flight.

But you can see those passengers there going into the terminal. This is an Airbus A320 with 80 on board. It was en route from Alexandria to Cairo. This was a regional flight in Egypt that was diverted to Cyprus.

Now, we can tell you, it landed safely at Larnaca Airport. And now, just several foreigners and seven-member crew remain onboard. The EgyptAir ministry says there were more than 20 non-Egyptians onboard, including eight Americans on that flight.

We do not know the nationalities of those still on the plane as negotiations with the hijacker continue. The motive related to this is the hijacker's ex-wife. It is not terrorism.

For the very latest, I want to bring in CNN's Ian Lee.

He has been following the story as it's been unfolding from Cairo.

Ian, tell us first what we know about this hijacker and what appears to be the motive for taking command of this flight. IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This basically the facts we have at this

hour. This plane took off at 6:30 a.m. It was going from Alexandria to here in Cairo, which is about a 45-minute flight. During the flight, a man said he had an explosive belt and demanded that the pilot divert to somewhere in Europe or Istanbul, somewhere other than the final destination. This is according to the Egyptian officials.

The pilot then said that they did not have enough fuel. That's why they landed in Larnaca. After which, all Egyptian passengers were led off the plane. Five foreigners remain, as well as seven crew members. In the past minutes, we have seen other people released.

The Egyptian authorities have cast doubt on whether this explosive belt that the hijacker claims he has is actually real or not. But as we're hearing as well from Cyprus officials, that the motivation seems to be around an ex-wife.

Now, the spokesman of the presidency here in Egypt confirmed to me the name of the hijacker as Ibrahim Samaha. He said, also, the spokesman said, this is a dual U.S.-Egyptian national. So, we are working also to independently verify that information.

But, right now, Egyptian officials say their main goal as well as Cyprus officials is to end this situation peacefully.

ROMANS: We know negotiations, Ian, have been going on for at least an hour with that hijacker. And we know as you say, that the president's office, the spokesman for the president saying this is an Egyptian- American citizen, two -- dual citizenship.

What can you tell us anything more about where the negotiations stand right now?

LEE: Well, it seems to be going positively where you do see people who are being released, although it is still a very sensitive situation. They do want to end this peacefully.

We are expecting a press conference actually to start anytime from the Egyptian ministry of civil aviation. They will update us on the current negotiations and status of the people who have been released and who are still on board.

But according to the Egyptian government, there are eight Americans on this flight. There's a lot of people with dual nationality here. They could have been dual Egyptian-American nationality. That's why they're off.

But right now, we are hearing that there are five foreigners on this flight that are being held hostage, as well as crew members.

ROMANS: We know eight Americans, four Dutch, two Belgians, four British, one Syria, one French, one Italian among the foreigners who are on that flight, a manifest showing 81 passengers, I believe, overall. There's some discrepancy on the number of the people on that manifest. Let me ask you one last question, Ian. You know, we're talking about

a flight that has been hijacked just months after a devastating bomb took down a metro jet flight that took off from Sharm el Sheikh Airport.

[05:05:04] I would presume, even though authorities are saying they do not think this is terrorism, there are a lot of questions this morning about security at these airports and air travel system in Egypt.

LEE: That's right. I just flew here in Cairo. I have been to this airport before. I have seen how the security has changed since that October crash bombing that killed over 200 people. Egyptian officials wanted to reassure the world that it is safe to come here. This situation doesn't help.

The question is, how -- if this person does have a bomb, how did they get it on the plane? Were they able to go through security and going through that airport, going through security, there are a number of checkpoints and a number of times you have to screen your bag. So, was a person able to get the bomb on board that way or was there some sort of inside help?

Although, right now, officials are saying that this is not terrorism- related. That it has something more to do with an ex-wife. And Egyptian officials have said that they doubt that this bomb is actually real, although officials aren't taking any chances right now.

ROMANS: All right. Ian Lee for us in Cairo.

And again, the president of Cyprus is saying this is not terrorism. The president of Cyprus saying 49 passengers have been released here.

We are waiting any moment for a news conference, Alison, to give us more information about where this stand.

KOSIK: And it was interesting, as you see, the confidence from Egypt civil aviation ministry. A spokesman saying that we don't think the hijacker has any explosives. So confident saying this because this spokesperson saying the security has been heightened across in Egypt.

But you wonder, this is a small airport. The flight from Alexandria to Cairo, this is a short flight, maybe 45 minutes. People take a two-hour train ride or drive three hours in a car, very short flight. Sometimes, many believe that security at some of these smaller airports can be a little more lax than the bigger ones.

ROMANS: We'll see. After that devastating MetroJet crash in Sharm el Sheikh last fall. A lot of criticism of the air transport system in Egypt and they have been working hard to make it safer. You can hear there that our Ian Lee said he had at that very airport, had to scan his bags a couple times before he can even get into the airport.

KOSIK: All right.

As we let Ian go ahead and gather more information, we want to turn to aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas, joining us now via Skype from Perth, Australia. He is the editor-in-chief and manager director of airlineratings.com.

Thanks for joining us. You know, it does beg the question how did this guy get on the flight if the Egypt civil aviation ministry is showing confidence saying that there's been heightened security stepped up across Egypt's airports. It also begs the question, how did the hijacker get to the pilot? Are there reinforced cockpit doors on EgyptAir's planes?

GEOFFREY THOMAS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/MANAGING DIR., AIRLINERATINGS.COM: Two very good questions. The first one with regard to the heightened security, they have since the MetroJet crash increased security significantly.

However, there's one thing to increase the quantity. But what about the quality? When you throw a lot more people at a job and you rush more -- rush the training of then scanners, then, of course, the quality of the scanning can deteriorate.

So, it may well be, as we found in other jurisdictions around the world, you know, with various tests that are done quite often the scanners will not pick up the weapons or explosives. Now, when it comes to what's happened on board the aircraft, the hijacker said he has an explosive belt. He's told the cabin crew, "I'm going to blow this airplane up unless the pilot diverts."

The pilot has got two choices. You know, it's all done through intercom because the cockpit door as you suggest is high security one. All aircraft have high security cockpit doors these days. The pilot faced with the question, do I risk the plane being blown up or divert to an airport?

He's taken the latter course of action which proved to be the right course of action so far. I think any pilot would probably take the same course of action.

ROMANS: Geoffrey, one reason why this was not detected in the airport is because there is no explosive. This is a love sick college professor having a personal meltdown and is claiming to have -- claiming to have an explosive device. If that turns out to be the case, is that also the proper response from the airline and from the pilot and from the crew?

[05:10:00] THOMAS: Look, indeed. I mean, the problem with suicide bombers, this is a whole new world for all of us. Not just security people, but travelers, for the general public, on metros, wherever it happens to be.

You've got somebody who's got a coat on. You have no idea what's underneath. With suicide bombers today, who knows? Who knows what they have underneath?

And we had a couple of cases where it turned out to be a lot of newspapers bulking out to make it look like they had explosives. But there is really no way of knowing. We have to take the threat seriously. I think the crew have done the right thing here. There is no other choice, really, with this sort of threat. KOSIK: You know, as we unravel the motivation of this hijacker, you

know, during these negotiations, we have seen him allow the release of first of most of the passengers, and then slowly of the non-Egyptian passengers, although he had held back some of the non-Egyptian passengers, making some believe there is a political motivate behind what he is doing. What do you think about that?

THOMAS: Well, certainly, releasing the Egyptian passengers indicates that his loyalty is with Egypt. You said earlier, he is a dual national, U.S.-Egyptian. But to my understanding, he is an Egyptian from Egypt. So, his loyalty is there.

What his motivation is at this stage, we really don't know. Certainly holding back the westerners, gives him greater bargaining power. Beyond that, we really don't know.

ROMANS: Again, the Cyprus government saying this is not terrorism. Not treating this as a terrorism event. We will hear more, I'm sure, from a press conference that happen momentarily. But was the motivation, ideological, personal, mental health? What is the issue here overall?

You know, it's interesting, Geoffrey. Something about this whole episode feels very 1980s or 1990s, if you will. You know, terror and international plots against airlines have changed so much in the past few years, really since 9/11, frankly.

Tell me a little bit about how the threat against air travel has evolved. Doesn't this seem like a late -- we have not seen these hijackings in a while really.

KOSIK: We saw so many in the '70s and '80s certainly.

ROMANS: That's right.

THOMAS: Indeed. We, the United States and rest of the world, is now embracing Cuba. Back in the '60s, I mean, at the peak, there were 70 hijackings a year to Cuba. And then it was the Palestinians, the PLO, hijackings through the Middle East. Some of those were terrible hijackings.

So, you are absolutely right. This is a throwback to the '60s, '70s and '80s. After 9/11, things changed dramatically and the new security door initiative, as a result of the tragedies of 9/11 changed the dynamic. Hijackings today have become quite rare.

And so, yes, this is a surprise. A hijacking combined with a threat of a suicide bomber type scenario. It's a new mix. Something new we're dealing with. All of a sudden, it is something we may have to deal with more often.

KOSIK: All right. Geoffrey Thomas, thanks so much for coming on the show. We will continue to follow this breaking news and come back to you as needed.

Once again, following this breaking news out of Cyprus. A plane hijacked. Several passengers and crew continue to be held onboard by the hijacker right now. We've got new information coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:18:07] ROMANS: Breaking news this morning. Most of the passengers have now been released from an EgyptAir flight, a flight diverted and safely on the ground now in Cyprus. Flight MS181 had been on its way from Alexandria to Cairo with at least 81 onboard, when the pilot radioed that a passenger claimed to have an explosive belt.

The hijacker, the hijacker is an American-Egyptian dual citizen named Ibrahim Samaha. This is according to a spokesman for the Egyptian president. EgyptAir says negotiations with this hijacker led to the release of all but a few passengers and crew members. Egyptian Air ministries says there were eight Americans on board, but we don't know if any of them are still among those being held.

I want to get right to CNN's Ian Lee in Cairo. He is following all of this as it unfolds.

Bring us up to speed, Ian.

LEE: What we are hearing now, we are getting a better picture of the motivation behind this hijacking. According to officials in Cyprus are saying, it has to do with something over an ex-wife. They do not believe it is terror-related.

We are waiting for a press conference by the Egyptian ministry of civil aviation to give us more details on the ongoing negotiations. How many people are still being held hostage? And to get a better idea of the motivation behind the situation.

But, again, they're saying at least a Cypriot official saying this is not a terrorism situation. We're also hearing from Egyptian officials who are casting doubt on this bomb, saying that they don't believe it is an actual explosive device, but they say they're not sure.

Officials right now aren't taking chances. They are treating it as if it was an explosive device.

When this hijacker, though, gone on this plane, this is an early morning flight from Alexandria to Cairo. About a 45-minute flight normally, he told the flight he had a bomb, and that he wanted to go to somewhere to Europe or Istanbul. The pilot said that they just didn't enough fuel, that is why they landed in Larnaca, Cyprus.

So, right now, we are watching that unfold, that situation. We have seen more people released, but still very tense situation.

ROMANS: All right. Ian Lee indeed. A very tense situation. You still have a hijacker claiming to have a suicide belt.

And we're awaiting a press conference, a news conference any moment. We will let you get back to the phones. Thanks, Ian.

We're following this breaking news out of Cyprus right now. That plane hijacked. Several passengers and crew held on board by the hijacker at this very moment. Brand new information, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): -- trying to take it to either Turkey or Cyprus. There was negotiation with the hijacker and we agreed they should land in Cyprus.

There were 55 passengers from different nationalities. And then they will head somewhere else via Cairo.

At 5 minutes past 7:00, we started dealing with the subject from the emergency center. There was the prime minister and all of the other teams. We have followed the situation.

At 7:50, the plane arrived to Larnaca airport. There was discussion with the other authorities. All he said he was wearing an explosive belt and he was not carrying any weapons. It appeared that it was a serious situation. After the negotiation with the hijacker and at the moment, there are seven people on the flight which is the crew and also the security officers and two other persons which I cannot talk more about who they are.

This subject, this is a security subject and we will not be able to disclose the nationalities at this stage.

I told you I'm just giving you, those are the numbers which I have obtained in the last five minutes. Yes, they're fine. We are dealing with the subject and we want to ensure this explosive belt or vest, it is actually two.

[05:25:03] For us, this is really high situation. I would like to add our meeting and we managed to conduct the families of the passengers. And now, they are waiting now to fly to Larnaca airport and we will bring our passengers back at the first instance. We expect them to arrive at 12:30.

Please let me take this question first. I cannot answer. There was a number of security forces and three other passengers aboard the plane.

After negotiation with the Cypriot authorities, I would like to say as I said earlier, the crew, security officer and air hostages and three other persons. The negotiation conducted with the hijacker and authorities. There are more than one section which we are negotiating and dealing with this subject.

We would like -- those people, they are brothers and children and we are dealing with it. I would assure the families the way we will deal with them has taken place at level which is appropriate. You can see is appropriate.

We will continue in the same way. The hijacker, is he an Arab? I cannot answer this or give any information about the hijacker. There are negotiations taking place with the parties involved.

Until this stage, we have not decided the requests and demands of which I can tell you at this moment. There are some information we cannot disclose.

Nobody can decide or state the time it will take for negotiations. All I would say is the people and the children who are on the flight, we would like to keep the safety and we use all the other ways in order to ensure the safety. No longer -- it doesn't matter how long it takes.

We do not want to have any conflicting information or any announcement or statement.

I did not say this so I cannot answer this information.

Yes, we have managed to get information. As I said to you earlier, I cannot disclose at this stage.

So you say that's the hijacker asked to land the plane in Turkey, but it has been decided in Larnaca instead.

The subject, regarding nationalities, there are some things which we cannot answer.