The president of Cyprus says the hijacking of an EgyptAir plane is "not something which has to do with terrorism."

An Egyptian man hijacked the plane today and forced it to land in Cyprus, where most passengers were eventually allowed to get off, though the crew remained on board.

A civil aviation official says the man gave negotiators the name of a woman who lives in Cyprus and asked them to give her an envelope. It's unclear what relationship she and the man have.

The plane left Alexandria, Egypt and was supposed to fly to Cairo with 55 passengers and a seven-member crew. Egyptian authorities say eight of those passengers are American.

The plane landed in the southern Cypriot city of Larnaca.

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