Hijacked EgyptAir plane forced to land in Cyprus

A commercial airliner en route to Cairo was hijacked and forced to land in Cyprus on Tuesday, according to civil aviation and police sources. Follow our live blog below for all the latest information on this developing story.

An EgyptAir plane, reported to be carrying 55 passengers and a seven-member crew, took off from the Egyptian city of Alexandria before it was diverted.
Originally bound for Cairo, Flight MS181 was diverted to Larnaca, Cyprus.
Local media say that the hijacker, who is armed and may have explosives, has freed some of the passengers.