this is al jazeera hell oel. welcome. you're watching the-- hello. welcome. you're watching the al jazeera news hour. coming up, an aeroplane has been highjacked in cyprus new laws come into force in japan allowing soldiers to fight overseas for the first time since world war 2. the f.b.i. says it has retrieved

information from the san bernardino's phone despite apple's refusal to help. an egyptian plane has been highjacked and flown to cyprus where negotiations are taking place as we speak to release the seven remaining hostages. egyptair has confirmed ms181 was on its way to cairo carrying 56 passengers. the airport is closed. the president of cyprus says the situation is not related to terrorism. reports suggest the hijacker was motivated by personal reasons. the hijacker has released all the passengers except seven people. that's the captain, the co-pilot, an air stewardess, an

air marshall and three other passengers. it is believed the hijacker is not armed. the minister of aviation spoke at a news conference within the past ten minutes. >> we are not sure whether he has is a true bomb or threat to the aircraft, but we are dealing with it as a real threat because we cannot take any risk except dealing with it as a serious situation looking at this google map to show you exactly what's going on, on the ground. larnaca, located on the south-eastern coast of cyprus. all flights being diverted to another airport on cyprus. there was reports that the hijacker originally wanted to fly to istanbul in turkey but he was told that there wasn't enough fuel on the aircraft to make that longer flight.

our correspondent joins us live now. there is a swirl, a fog of misinformation almost surrounding this evolving story. just tell us what we know to be the fact we heard the egyptian minister say not really divulge much information, saying that 55 passengers were on board. he also said that seven people are still in that plane, four of them crew members, the pilot, co pilot and air stewardess as well as an air marshall. he said there were three other passengers, refusing to disclose their nationality. he refused to disclose the identity of the hijacker. there were reports that he was an egyptian national. the egyptian minister refusing to confirm it is him. there are reports circulating

that the man could be another. a lot of misinformation. the biggest question that the egyptian authorities did not answer is how did this happen. the cypriat president saying this is not relate to terrorism. that the man has personal issues. they say he is an idiot, not a terrorist. we know for sure there was an air marshall on board and the pilot said that he was told by the hijacker that he will blow up the plane if he didn't divert the flight. something happened on the flight and we do not know what. passengers have disembarked. many have been able to leave the plane. the authorities are speaking to them to get more information what was your making of the

tone of that news conference from the relevant government minister. it's almost as if somebody some place had a conversation and said "look, we know we have an issue with airport and aircraft security. therefore, we've got to be seen to be playing this one with a straight back"? >> reporter: undoubtedly all eyes on egypt right now and their security at its airports. you heard the transport minister say "we doubt that he had explosives-- doubt that he had explosives on board". he said he was not armed and they're looking into claims that there was a suicide explosives belt on board. authorities earlier said this they couldn't confirm that. egypt really defending themselves because just a few months ago a russian plane which took off from an egyptian airport in sharm el-sheikh blew up in mid air. i.s.i.l. did claim

responsibility for that attack, egyptian authorities called it an attack on terrorism. egypt was criticized for the lax security at its airport. egypt at the end of the day needs to defends itself. we heard the transport minister say that they shouldn't jump to conclusions and they should wait for the investigation to happen. they did not explain what happened on board that aircraft and whether or not the hijacker does have explosives, but according to the minister they are treating this as a genuine threat as ever, more questions than answers. thank you. our middle east analyst is here. more questionss than answers. this is not a one-size-fits-all situation because every hostage-situation is unique. in egypt how will this be perceived? how will they be reacting to

this because egyptian aviation-- >> are you talking about the officials? yes. in the headlines again for all the wrong reasons. >> that is the paradox that i was talking to you about before the break, the recent break. because i know that somebody out there is trying to get that, export that image to the world, that we are having a serious issue with terrorism and you have to give us a freehand to deal with this terrorism issue regardless of what the world is talking about, about massive violations of human rights, but on the other hand they're actually damaging the economy. i guess the officials are going to be torn between these two priorities, their own priorities, how to sol vaej the economy, how-- how to salvage the economy and tourism, which

is one of the major sources to egypt, and to keep that image exported to the whole world how is this airline perceived perceived? it has been flying since the 1930s. you will have seen those tail fins at an airport, you would have seen this some place. >> yes. if you ask me about what do i think about egyptair, i think it is a good airline. amazingly, i flew that airline for many years and the security used to be very tough, more than many other airlines. so i'm having a big question mark about what has been happening recently when it comes to that airline were you surprised by the tone of the words coming from the egyptian minister for civil aviation? he was being very open, very

honest, and of course he would be he is a minister, but there are no, bits of information that we can't talk about >> i don't know what information he is talking about. is it really risky to reveal such information or not? it might be very serious. from what i heard from him, overall, it seems that they don't have that kind of information. so i think he was just being prudent because of all these circumstances, the economy is going through a very, very severe crisis. so i guess he was just being prudent. it's not about the serious information thank you for that.

we understand there are conversations probably having taken place between the passengers who were allowed off the aircraft and the hostage negotiators. as far as you know have those talks actually happened? >> they're going to right now. the fact is that the security authorities have kept quiet about almost everything about this case. we had a statement by the president of the republic a few minutes ago in which he expressed his relief that this incident was not one of terrorism, and one can appreciate the fact that the people have lived under fear of such a terrorist act taking place, but also there is in acts of terrorism in theest of europe. they are relieved to find out that the motivation of whoever

is the hijacker is not terrorism, but personal. in fact, they're making a joke of the fact he could have mentioned whatever he wanted to his ex-wife through an email rather than resort to these methods because of those areas of conflict that are a million miles away from you at the moment, taking place as we speak, we're talk about what's going on with the refugee crisis, as well even brussels, you can get a flight very easily from all of those major european hubs to where you are, was there an awareness or anticipation that something like a hijacking might happen even if one lives near any old airport, but in this case it happens to have happened at llarnaca?

>> there was fear, but as we have witnessed in europe. the fact is that the authorities have taken certain measures. they have strengthened all their measures around the island, but especially in airports, but that's why i said there was a general relief to find out that the motives of the incident were not terrorism but a failed love affair we have heard how tight security was at the airport in larnaca anyway. if the authorities decide to do this, is it possible to make security there even tighter because i suppose for the authorities, if you make

security tighter than it already is, you slow people down from getting on the planes. >> that's true, but at the same time we're at the beginning of a trourist season which-- tourist season which is fruitful for the economy, which is just coming out of the crisis. therefore, they have ever reason to provide security to both the tourists and the local population here because of the overall objectives. yes, i think this would be coupled with a certain amount of delays and, perhaps, problems many thanks. thank you for that. plenty more ground to cover for you here on this news hour. including a rare court case in israel where a soldier is being arrested for the murder of a palestinian man seemingly caught on camera. france prepares to return to their national stadium for the

first time since the aand a quarters last year. more in sports news pakistani police arresting hundreds of suspects over sundays's suicide attack in lahore. it comes a day after the army having a crackdown. more than 70 people were killed, nearly half of them were children. security meanwhile in the capital islamabad remains tight with thousands of protesters camped outside the parliament. they're angry about the execution last month of a security guard. he was hanged for killing the governor of punjab who criticized the countries's blasphemy laws. >> reporter: as you can see, islamabad's main hub of activity for business and office, is at a

standstill because the access road has been blocked. the metro service which caters to thousands of communitiers is not to be seen after damage was inflicted on the bus stations. also the fact that the government is trying to find a negotiated settlement, but the prime minister also said that because the government has been soft, that it should not be construed as a sign of weakness, which means that the police forces and the security forces may take action to disburse this particular crowd. it is important to note that the mainstream religious parties in the country, which wield considerable street power, are not to be seen and are not supporting this particular crowd which is now sitting in front of parliament the syrian army continuing its offensive against i.s.i.l. after recapturing the ancient

city of palmyra on sunday. it retook the city after days of fighting backed by russian air support. new laws allowing japanese soldiers to too fight overseas for the first time since world war ii has come into force. there has been widespread opposition to the changes. >> reporter: there has been a fairly muted response to the enactment of these laws. they have been in the offing for several months since they were first passed last september. even so, there have been proceed fests in more than 30 cities and also in tokyo outside the parliament. inside the parliament the opposition parties are planning new steps to try to thwart these measures, but it is difficult to see what success they will have given abe's majority in the japanese parliament. possibly more of a concern to

abe are legal challenges which are being planned by legal experts and sol ars who are going to-- scholars who are going to say these are illegal. for its part the government has been reminding japan through its daily cabinet secretary's briefing that these measures are necessary to reflect how the defense forces should be used in a changing world and reminding japan about the threat posed by north korea with its rocket and missile test in the last couple of months. we have seen in opinion polls more people coming around to the idea that they should be preparing to counter this threat from north korea the israeli parliament has given initial approval to a bill that will enable the suspension of law makers who have supported

israel's enemies or who have acted against the state. it moves to the committee and can become law after two more votes. an israeli soldier will appear in court on tuesday where he is being investigated for murder. it involves two palestinian men who stabbed and injured an israeli soldier. they were both shot and one killed instantly. what happened next has been caught on camera and has caused condemnation around the world. >> reporter: we're taken through a sequence of events. it starts moments after two palestinians have been shot after stabbing an israeli soldier. one is killed instantly but 21-year-old is injured and is laying on the ground. fast forward and a second soldier appears to be talking to a settlor in the back of the frame. he then makes his way to a colleague. they appear to have a conversation. the soldier then cocks his

weapon and about five seconds later he shoots him in the head instantly killing him. >> translation: i'm still taken by surprise by the shooting. i've taken hundreds of videos documenting incidents and this is the most violent. >> reporter: this man's home has been fire bombed and his front door has been shot at. every member of his family has been hurt or harassed in an attempt to get them to leave their home. new threats after the publication of his video. he says documenting life under israeli occupation in hebron is what his struggle ask about. >> translation: i hope-- is about. >> translation: i hope it will reduce the violence here. i hope the peace will prevail and deal with the dealing of this man. the soldiers are asking about our car parked outside. he does not want us to be here.

he tells us if we don't leave we will be arrested. it seems since the video was published the army doesn't want anyone here. the israeli soldier who shot the man is being investigated for murder and it is rare and it has led to an outcry of the israeli society who hold the army in high regarded. the u.n. coordinator has condemned what he calls an apparent ex-extra judicial execution calling it immoral and unjust the f.b.i. says it has managed to crack the security protocols on the iphone which belonged to one of the shooters from is an bernardino. it is a key chain. it means that a tool can reveal all of an owner's log ins if the hacker knows a master password. 14 people were akilled in at tack last december

>> reporter: the apple band is bruised, its star product has long been promoted as impresentingnabl-- impregnabe. the f bichlt has unlocked the device. apple says: >> reporter: for months the u.s. justice department has demanded that apple unlock data encrypted in the used by the shooters last december. now the case has been dropped and the f.b.i. assistant director issued a statement saying: >> reporter: the case has

gripped the technology industry and civil liberties watchdogs cornered about what kind of precedent is being set >> a lot of other countries that have ability to access information will be looking at the outcome of this case to say if the united states have set a standard in which they gain access to information, maybe we will do the same thing. so there's a large reverb registration possible-- reevesh-- reverb raeshgs tion over in. >> reporter: the question is how much right law enforcement has to personal information let's get more on that story for you. live on the news hour from sydney australia is a senior writer for a website.

what does this mean for smart phone users? >> it raises interesting questions about what we can expect from our devices and whether they really are secure as we think they are. apple has always said they're a secure provider. if there is methods that can be circumvented by government agency, it makes us question those security issues you're running the next generation office at apple in the u.s. what's the conversation that they must be having just now to get us to carry on buying their products because they're just about to unveil, i understand, a new cheaper but pretty powerful small aiphone because sales are plateauing, and if you put that on top of that, maybe they're not secure maybe me will go

somewhere else >> certainly. we have to think about this being a publicised case. it's not the only case. all around the world government agencies are trying to access devices and access information on them for national security reasons, for basic criminal reasons. we're hearing about the apple case but there's no doubt other cases on other phones and other devices. for apple's case they will be billing the next smart phone as a really secure device. we have to remember that the iphone that the f.b.i. tried to gain access to and ultimately gained access to was the on iphone5c. an older generation phone. since then there has been changes to the hardware and ios software to make it more secure. in these cases it's described as an encryption armour. constantly you have the smart minds of apple and other companies trying to make their

encryption and security even better. as that is happening, you have hackers trying to get in and break through those different encryption methods. for apple they will certainly be taking notice of this, but the battle is not over just because the court case is, but their next iphones were built more secure than ever being more secure than ever is fantastic, but is there a reality this, maybe we should go back to basics. no device, we should do the basics, not do anything in social media, you download and keep a hard copy some place safe. >> i'm never going to tell people to throw their smart phones away give it a ge, just once. >> shut down your laptop, throw

away your phone and go back to paper and pen. no. if there are systems on your phone to use to lock it. you should be doing that. there are so many ways to lock and secure your phone at the moment that if you're not taking advantage of them, you're a fool, but it's also about being smart and recognising that your device can potentially be compromised. it is very rare that your phone would be swiped and some sort of white hat or black hat hacker is going to be breaking into it just because someone steals it on the bus, but it is important to remember that government access do have-- government agencies do have access to things and a lot of digital information is accessing, in the same way that a lot of other hard copy has been accessible to the feds in the past

thank you for that. time for the weather. heavy rain in sri lanka. >> that's right. it's there for more than a month's worth of rainfall there in 24 hours. the entire month of march normally sees around 66 millimetres of around. it was 61 this feni. very heavy rain. scope for more showers over the next couple of days. we've got scope for some showers over the peninsula. clouds are sliding down towards the gulf. notice this pocket of cloud making its way across central parts. we could see some showers coming

into central areas of saudi arabia. for wednesday that wetter weather sliding down to bahrain bahrein. down here and then on the other side we see some wet weather, possibly making its way into that western side of iran. some showers around the caspean sea. gradually dry for the levant to somali where al-shabab fighters retreat. security improving in parts of the country, many are free now to practice their faith. >> reporter: they are raising their voices once again and want to be heard.

they had been driven underground, their leaders killed or chased out of their country. even the dead were not spared. more than a thousand graves are were december crated in the last-- december crated-- dececrated in the last 10 years. they're being seen now in public. >> translation: the war in somalia affected us. there are men who everybody know who they are, they killed the people and vandalized graves. >> reporter: al-shabab, which is fighting to overthrow the somali believes are targeting them. they controlled large parts of mogadishu, sufi mosques remain empty. now the call for the followers to return is loud and clear.

>> translation: the youth must work hard to follow the correct path. they should make time to return to their mosques and support their religion. that is our call to them. >> reporter: it might take more than a call to fill up these mosques. this is rarely seen in public. >> reporter: sufi religious groups are filling up slowly. this one has more than 100 students of religious studies. the teacher says he can't accept any more children because it is so popular. >> translation: we teach only the karan. we teach each student to their capacity. we teach with wooden tablet and charcoal ink. >> reporter: the feeling here is

now that somalia dark days are of the past. they just want to be left in peace and return to their own ways of practising islam still to come for you here on the al jazeera news hour, donald trump, the u.s. republican presidential front runner reveals more details about his foreign policy. also unemployment concerns. that's the arab spring, six years on. a shock at the miami open involving a top tennis player. tennis player.

welcome back. a quick reminder of the top stories. an egypt aeroplane has been highjacked and taken to cyprus where negotiations continue to release seven remaining hostages. the foreign affairs ministry has identified the suspect. the situation is not related to terrorism most of the 56 passengers on board have been released. the egyptian government says it is not sure if the suspect is a genuine threat. pakistan says it has arrested hundreds of suspects following the attack in lahore. ongoing story for you. that hijacking of the plane. >> reporter: the plane sits on cyprus. the hijacker appears to be

wearing an explosive belt but there is no confirmation. every effort is being made to ensure the safety of those still on board. >> the reality is that we have a hijacker on board. not sure what he has is a true bomb or threat to the aircraft, but we are dealing with it as a real threat because we can not take any risk except dealing with it as a serious situation. >> reporter: the flight was scheduled for a short trip from alexandria to cairo. investigators have seen the release of all but a few passengers and the crew. >> we don't know whether he has a mental problem. they will be treating this with

kids gloves because if they have an unbalanced mind on their hands, they will have to treat this carefully and hopefully talk him down from where he is, get him to release the hostages and give himself up. >> reporter: the president says the hijacking is not related to terrorism. a domestic dispute may be a motive. the airport remains closed and all flights are being diverted to another airport in cyprus egyptian president sisi has fired the head of his government's anti corruption commission. he was appointed by the former president to audit government institutions, the police and the judiciary. he became the target of a government investigation. four people including two children have been killed in iraq. it is believed that iraqi forces were targeting i.s.i.l. hide

outs in fallujah. around 400 i.s.i.l. fighters were there which fell to the ground two years ago. donald trump has begun to flesh out his foreign policy. in an interview with the new york times he said he would cut oil purchases from saudi arabia and may scrap a longstanding security pact with japan. >> reporter: from the first moments of his campaign >> i will build a great, great wall on our southern border and i will have mexico pay for that wall. mark my words. >> reporter: donald trump has talked about how he will change u.s. relations with the rest of the world. several months in, he has started to give more detail how foreign policy would look under president trump. in an interview with the new york times he has reveald he will renegotiate a longstanding security pact with japan saying u.s. needs better terms.

he will cut oil purchases from saudi arabia to combat i.s.i.l., even though the u.s. needs middle east energy. he would be open to allowing japan and north korea to develop nuclear weapons. one expert says donald trump knows the first step back-up hasn't thought about step two and three >> he doesn't have a cost analysis towards foreign policy. he has a win-lose approach to foreign policy. that is to say that if america wins someone else has to lose and if somebody else wins, america is by definition losing. i think that's concerning about international cooperation. >> reporter: donald trump doesn't give many promises about what he will do. he >> the united nations is not a friend of democracy.

it is not a friend to freedom. it is not a friend even to the united states of america whereas you know it has its home. >> reporter: but he has tapped into the raw emotions of the american public >> he he has been skillful in tapping into certain emotions and sentiments when it comes to the american public and foreign policy. how many average american voters are really going to know the nuances of the islamic state. not necessarily, but they're concerned about terrorism, they're very afraid. we've seen levels of anxiety in the u.s. spike to levels that we haven't seen since post 9/11. when it is tapping into that emotion he is smart. >> reporter: he will be forced to give details on his policy if he wins the nation. it is a large part of the job of presidential. when asked who his top adviser is he has replied, it's me let's revisit our top story. the egypt aeroplane that has

been highjacked. an aviation analyst joining us. the minister just in the past 45 minutes saying he doesn't have a gun, he is not armed, but not being drawn on the fact as to whether he might have an explosive device on him. another saying "this man is an idiot", but it is ongoning live hostage situation. what is your take on the security aspect of this? >> this is still happening now. they're saying that as many as seven people are still on the aircraft which at the moment remains in the remote area of larnaca airport. what is unusual about this skreent, this particular hijack, is that this aircraft when flying did not squawk 7500, which is the signal that it sends out to air traffic control. so, for example t flight crew

may have a hijacker possibly in the flight deck so they may not be able to tell air traffic controllers, we have somebody in with us and this is our situation. instead, they can go to a panel in the flight deck, they can enter four numbers t a combination, 7500, and that initiates the hijack procedure. sometimes it involves a military aircraft. this didn't happen. it was egyptair that alerted us that one of their aircraft had actually veered severely off course and was now on its way descending towards larnaca. it has landed and made its way to the remote part of the airport. the majority of the passengers have been left off the airport. most have had hand luggage, so they had time to get it. the crew returned back into the aircraft around we're hearing around 7 could still remain on board what's your analysis of

where egyptian aviation is in the light of this incident, whether this is a domestic that has gone wrong or not doesn't really matter because the whole tenor of the news conference from the relevant government minister seemed to be implicitly saying we have got to be seen to be open about this because egyptian government ministry is not known for giving such open news conferences. >> exactly. this event is especially surprising, just a few months after the sinai bombing. they managed to get a bomb on board a russian-bound airliner, an a321. would you expect that egyptian airports would be more secure than ever in light of that and, of course, in times of terror at the moment, just recently after the brussels attacks. however, they are suggesting that if this hijacker does have an explosive device on him heeshgs would have been able to pass through the airport security which is mandatory for

all passengers leaving alexandria, as with other airports, where they scan hand luggage and also a metal detector and then possibly searched again at the gate before boarding the aircraft. he may have managed to passion through all of this, should she have an explosive device and then made himself known to the crew about three-quarters of the way through the flight and initiated his hijacking from there is it possible to make it more secure than it is at the moment, the airport, given that security there is pretty tight and good anyhow? >> the egyptian authorities say that security there is pretty good and pretty tight. however, those that have travelled extensively through alexandria and in the past few weeks have said that, do you know what, alexandria and cairo airports are back to their own ways, more relaxed security now

that a few months have passed. whether that's the case are of not is just allegations. we know that security isn't as tight as it is in europe, but similarly this was a commercial airliner, regardless of whether it was domestic or not, the security should have been just as secure as an international when it comes to that key central issue of security, we understand because this is a government-owned carrier, there would have been an air marshall on board. clearly the authorities, once the dust has settled, the authorities will want to know what the air marshall did and how he or she did the. >> it hasn't been confirmed yet as to whether or not there was an air marshall on board. egyptairs declined to comment on whether there was an air marshall, probably because it was a domestic route, and we will get more details on that, and as we find out who the seven people who are still on the

plane at the moment as to the people that the hijacker has decided to keep on board the aircraft, he views them as being high value and he knows that's his pinch point because if he lets people go, if he gets to the stage where it is just him and the crew or him and the pie locality, he takes away his-- pilot, he takes away his own momentum. >> it is, yes. it is being said that that could be why and why specifically, what are the nationalities of the people that remain on board, so i can't does he see them as valuable, but contrasting reports actually the hijacker has no links to terrorism whatsoever and he could just be trying to get in touch with an ex-wife.

as it proceeds, we will find out i'm sure if you were putting together a matrix of the top points that they must hit if one assumes they've got to up their game, who would that be? >> it would be further reviews at egyptian airports as to why this has happened possibly again in terms of possible - another possible explosive device on an aircraft, on an airliner, and there are claims that this is because this is egypt air or because it is only a small aircraft. that is not the case. they're the flag tariff for the country, a very safe airline and should be trusted just as well as any other airline. a secure air bus, very modern, and it is the security that we've come to know where nobody ask allowed into the flight deck

unless you are a member of the flight crew. it will be looking at what procedures were in place and why this all happened just to go back to the actual scenario, we understand that if he wasn't able to gain access to the cockpit and nobody has said whether it happened, he probably was allowed to talk to somebody on the cockpit via the inter phone. that's the grey phone to the right of the front door left-hand side if you're skiting facing the front of the aircraft, on that a320, toilet left-hand side, with the gallery off to the right. >> that's correct, yes. there is a photo circulating social media at the moment which remains unconfirmed, but it shows who they're saying is the hijacker standing at the front of the aircraft. if you're facing the cockpit

it's on the left-hand side. if he did make himself known to the cabin crew as a hijacker and says i have an explosive, then they would have had to take him seriously and the first point of call would be to get in touch with the flight crew r ultimately, the decisions lay in the captain's hands and whatever he deems safe and appropriate for that aircraft, then that's what they would have done because of this airline's provenance and the fact that it's owned by the government, do the cabin or flight crew get a particular kind of training or is there another ingredient to their training that, perhaps, other carriers' crews do not receive? >> i can't comment specifically on egyptair's crew training, but most cabin crew are trained equally in terms of to the same safety standards. that the security and at

protocols in place for cabin crew should be no less than the likes of emirates. so passengers should have faith in the cabin crew that they are as well trained as for any airline for these situations thank you. let's take a closer look at this google map which shows precisely where the airport is. it is located on the south-eastern coast of cyprus. all flights have been diverted. he wanted to go to istanbul, but the pilot said there wasn't enough fuel. following that story is the middle east analyst here. if you're lcc, what's the key-- sisi, what is the key question

that he has to address within this industry in the context of egypt. >> before i answer this question, let me give you a piece of information. during the break it was confirmed that it was not ibrahim [indistinct] the board of the university was very alarmed because of this news. they convened and they are just about to make a statement saying that the professor has nothing to do with this hijacking incident. it is confirmed that it is [indistinct] not the professor. second, there are unconfirmed reports that it was not a domestic flight from alexandria or the arab airport to cairo. it was actually en route to

cairo via alexandria coming from from the eastern part of saudi arabia. another unconfirmed report. the cypriat announcement that there is another demand which is the release of some of the egyptian prisoners. nothing was said about the nature of these prisoner and it is not confirmed but it was announced by the official radio station. these are the most recent developments as far as this incident is concerned so many aspects of the reported apparent motivation for this individual is utilising today. they're not contradictory, but they certainly are coming from lots of different angles and it's important for us to separate out what we know from

what we don't know. we have taken the very conscious decision not broadcast the picture of a man in his 40s standing at the front because that is not the hijacker. request we say it is the 27-year-old as not named by the egyptian minister when he held the news conference 60 minutes ago? >> yes. i think it was wise to withhold the name of the hijacker because of the conflicting stories. now there is no conflict about the identity of the hijackehija. it is [indistinct] and it is not the profeor [indistinct] that's good news for him and his family and his colleagues as well. so this have very much an ongoing situation. if you're running security, the security apparatus, in egypt,

aviation such a key part of your economy, you've already touched on the idea that the economy is not on the slab, but it is not doing particularly well, what is the key issue for you at the moment? >> i guess the key issue now is to look deeply into the issue of security. you cannot separate actually security from all these political and social developments, bad developments, negative developments, that has taken place in egypt. if i was running a security apparatus, i would ask the political leadership to be part of that effort of addressing the security issue by actually addressing the political crisis and the social crisis in egypt. i guess this is where the disease is, not the security cause and symptom, as ever,

that kind of aspect. >> yes thank you. let's talk to the freelance journalist who has been keeping company at athens. we seem to be getting another possible picture of who the hijacker might be. are you getting any more details on that aspect of it? >> i'm trying to. the truth is that we in the original reports and that is changing. dwrimg to get what i can, but all flights from athens are being rerouted to other airports so larnaca remains closed for flights. there is progress being made,

although we're hearing more conflicting reports about what it is that the hijacker actually wants. for a wheel we seemed to believed that it might be more of a domestic issue, something to do with his ex-wife, and now it is looking this may not be the case. as the situation is developing as a story, we seem to be getting all kinds of conflicting information and at the point, what this person wants it seems to remain unclear. we heard he wanted political asylum from cyprus. why we thought we had an emerging profile of this man, we seem to be going backwards and being left able to unable to confirm a government minister out of

cairo describing him as "an idiot". if you've got the nouse to get onto a plane and makes these steps, you're not an idiot, you have some sort of savvy to achieve something to get out of this situation. >> absolutely. by calling this guy an idiot, he does not make the local authorities look particularly clever in comparison. it is a situation that will be discussed when this hijacking situation is over. we know that there have been problems in egypt before and it seems that security stale remains a concern in a country that has also millions of visitors annually, and it depends on tourism for its

economy. the issue of security is one that will need to be readdressed thank you so much. our correspondent joins us now. you've reported a lot, particularly over the past couple of hours for us about this broader question of security. travelling through an egyptian airport, is there any obvious way that they can up their game because they've got to achieve a balance. the balance is make people secure, actually secure, make them feel secure, but also make sure that you don't slowdown the process so that the planes can't take off on time. >> reporter: yes. egypt has been criticized. a few months ago when a russian plane took off from the egypt airport in sharm el-sheikh blew up in mid-air, a terrorist act. egypt has been criticized for

lax security. we do not know the answers that the egyptian transport minister didn't tell us was that what exactly happened on that plan. authorities are saying they have no confirmation that the hijacker on board that egypt air flight is carrying an explosive belt as was reported earlier. they do not have confirmation, they feel he could be bluffing. if he doesn't have those explosives, we understand that the pilot initially reported there were explosives and that's why he had no choice to divert the plane. how did they pass through the security at the airport. it is the second main city in egypt. we understand that the plane was diverted. a lot of conflicting reports and a lot of questions we can see the steps have

been moved up to the left-hand side of the aircraft. >> reporter: i think you've lost us the door has been lost open, so they're probably running, if they are, able to run the air conditioning inside the aircraft. keep people cool. it's, obviously, getting warm there on the ground there. we've got several people still on board. we've got one report said the air marshall is still on board the plane. there are three, perhaps four, passengers plus seven crew m members. if you're just joining us here, that's pretty much what we know at the moment. it had distilled itself down over the past hour or so into being a domestic situation that had got appallingly out of control. we're talking about an egyptian national.

this was the main report an hour ago. we're talking about an egyptian national for who some reason wanted to make contact with his ex-wife, who is a greek cypriut. he is a 27-year-old, or although during his revelations news conference, the minister for civil aviation was not being drawn on his actual name. we have managed to confirm that it is not the person as was named about two hours ago. on that flight, this person, the 27-year-old, decided to then mount his assault on the aircraft. this is a criminal offence, of course. it is also a criminal offence covered by international aviation law as defined and laid down by iarta. he decided to have that aircraft diverted >> he has taken everyone on the

plane hostage. he wanted to fly to istanbul. there was no point going there because his ex-wife was in cyprus. he has had a letter delivered to his ex-wife, we understand, as well we're continuing to follow breaking news. a highjacked jet is rerouted to cyprus with americans on board. it is not terrorist related cracking the code, the f.b.i. unlocking an iphone without the help of apple. >> i don't go my country because i have big problems. the people want to kill me detained and soon to be deported, why teenagers are being rounded up by immigration and what their families and friends are doing to try and get them released