hostages flee an egypt airplane in cypress bringing a hijacking situation to a peaceful end. you're watching al jazeera from doha. also coming up, police many pakistan arrest hundreds of people over sunday's suicide bombing in lahore. the fbi says it's retrieved data from the san bernardino gunman's iphone despite apple's refusal to help. plus, thailand's military government says its new draft constitution will return the country to democracy, but not

everyone is convinced. the hijacking of an egypt airplane is over. flight ms-181 was on its way from alexandria to cairo carrying 56 passengers. it was diverted to cypress after a man threatened crew on board. the plane remained at the airport for several hours until all the hostages were released or managed to escape. the hijacker's motives remain unclear. we have the report. >> reporter: hours after the crisis began, the final few hostages are seen exiting the hijacked plane. one had to escape through the cockpit window, and everyone else used the mobile stairs. they were escorted off the tarmac by police. the hijacker is believed to be among them. egypt's minister of civil aviation announced the peaceful

resolution. >> translator: all the passengers along with the crew were released. they're safe and sound. this is what we worked at any cost from the very beginning. hijacking cannot be branded as an act of terrorism. all the facts are being analyzed by forensic experts. the hijacker is in police custody. >> reporter: flight 181 was flying from alexandria to cairo when it was diverted to cypress. the hijacker has been identified as an egyptian living in siep cypress. he gave a letter in arabic demanding the release of female prisoners in egypt and called for a meeting with his former wife who lives in cypress. his motivation is still in dispute. >> translator: at some point he demanded to pete with an eu representative and at other points he demanded to depart from the airport and head to another destination. he raised no specific demands. >> reporter: also in dispute is

whether the hijacker was armed. he had claimed he was wearing an explosive belt. the plane's crew had to treat it as a credible threat. >> safe in the security system has been tr destroyed. the regime we're in now is that anybody, if there's no faith in security, anybody can make such a claim in the future, and the captain will do what he's told. >> reporter: at one point egyptian officials mistakenly identified another passenger as the hijacker, raising more questions about egypt's aviation security. the government says details of the investigation will be released in due course. for now, it's marking a small victory. the release of everyone on board egypt air flight 181. jerrold tann, al jazeera. security analysts say although the hijacking resolution was a good outcome, there's many questions to be answered.

>> this in many ways is the textbook outcome. we have an aircraft that is undamaged. we have people that are unharmed both passengers and the crew and even the hostage-taker has given himself up peacefully. this is the ultimate outcome that any hijacking situation aims to achieve. all of this appears to have happened as a result of very effective coordination between the egyptian and cypress government as far as we can tell. and evidence suggests to me that even when the aircraft was in the air on its way to cypress, the negotiations probably had begun, certainly it seems that the hijacker was identified. his friends and family were identified, and a lot of things were put in place so when the aircraft landed, the process could continue. so not unsurprisingly only a matter of hours after the aircraft landed did we get the

news that the -- most of the passengers had been allowed off. this whole process of negotiation, coordination does appear to have worked extremely well in this case. the syrian army is continuing its offensive against isil after recapturing the ancient city of palmyra on sunday. fighting is taking place around isil-held towns near the southeast and southwest. the army will use palmyra as a launchpad to expand operations against isil and cut supply routes. it retook the city after days of fighting backed by russian air strikes. the fbi is saying its managed to crack the security protocols on the iphone which belonged to one of the san bernardino shooters. 14 people were killed in the attack in california in december. apple and the fbi had gone to court because apple said it couldn't crack the phone without writing new software. we have the report. >> reporter: the apple brand is bruised. its star product, the aye phone,

has long been promoted am impregnant nabl until now. the fbi succeeded in unlocking the device, and apple has responded with a statement saying, we will continue to help law enforcement with their investigations as we have done all along, and we will continue to increase the security of our products as the threats and attacks on our data become more frequent and more sophisticated. for months the u.s. justice department has demanded that apple unlock data encrypted in the iphone used by farook. he and his wife killed 14 people in a shooting in san bernardino, california last december. now the case is being dropped and the fbi assistant director issued a statement saying, the fbi cannot comment on the technical steps that were taken to obtain the contents of the county-issued iphone, but i'm satisfied that we have access to more answers than we did before and that the investigation process is moving forward.

the case has gripped the technology industry and civil liberties watch dogs concerned about what kind of precedent is being set. >> a lot of other countries that have similar desire to access information with broad sweep were looking at the outcome of this case to say, okay, if the united states has set a standard in which they intend to gain access to information, maybe we'll do the same thing. so there's a large reverberation possible from not only this case but similar cases going forward. >> reporter: the dispute over one iphone may be resolved, but the larger confrontation over privacy and digital security is far from it. the overarching question is, how much right law enforcement has to personal information. police in pakistan have arrested hundreds of suspects over sunday's suicide bombing in lahore. the arrests come a day after the army launched a military crackdown. the prime minister promised to stamp out such attacks. more than 70 people were killed,

nearly half of them children. security in the capital islamabad is tight with thousands of protesters camped outside parliament. they're angry about last month's execution of the security guard that was hanged for killing the governor of pun jab who credit suz the blass femy laws. doesn't that mean a crackdown on protesters is imminent? >> reporter: all right. i'm afraid we have lost our connection with him. we'll try and get him back a little later in the program to find out what's going on in pack tan. new laws allow japanese soldiers to fight overseas have come into force, but there's widespread opposition to the changes as rob mcbride reports from tokyo. >> they've been protesting outside the japanese parliament

every month since the new laws were passed last september. protesters were back again to witness the laws coming into force. japan, they say, is turning its back on the pass vichl it followed for 70 years. >> translator: japan took pride in not waging war. now we have lost our cause and have become a nation that will fight wars. >> i can't forgive this. this is forced to and there's no way to accept it. >> reporter: these new laws are a victory for japan's ruling convention coalition and shinzo abe. he wants to see japan soldiers have a more assertive role in overseas peacekeeping missions and to be allowed to fight alongside american allies. >> he may have won, but they're promising to fight. new challenges are planned in

the japanese parliament and in the courts. his critics say abe's reinterpretation of japan's constitution, which renounces militaryism is illegal, and they believe he now intends to change the constitution itself. >> translator: he got the order wrong. he undermined the constitution and is now trying to change it to make new laws constitutional. that's not what a politician of a law-abiding nation would do. that's the behavior of an auto accurate. >> with the new laws in place comes the problem of just when and how japanese troops should now be used overseas and what the reaction will be from japan's neighbors given the increased tensions that already exist with north korea's weapons testing and china's own military expansion. for many in jap the real problem will come if lives of japanese soldiers are lost on foreign soilt as a result of the change.

still to come, donald trump, the u.s. front-runner for the reps reveals more details about his foreign policy. we look at how islamic mist simple is make being a comeback in somalia.

>> we're here to fully get into the nuances of everything that's going on, not just in this country, but around the world. getting the news from the people who are affected. >> people need to demand reform... >> ali velshi on target. the hijacking of an egypt

airplane taken to cypress is over. all remaining hostages have escaped or were released unharmed. the hijacker has been arrested. the president of cypress says it was not a terrorist act. the fbi says it's managed to crack an iphone belonging to san bernardino shooter farook despite apple refusing to help. 14 were killed in that attack in december. pakistan arrested hundreds of suspects after the bombing attack in lahore. an israeli soldier is appearing in court investigated for murder. it involving two palestinian men who stabbed and injured an israeli soldier. stephanie dekker from jerusalem telling us what to expect. >> reporter: they're a break now. we expect a decision in the next hour or so, whether to release the soldier or extend the

detention, which means the military investigation will go on. to give you a sense of what happened in court, they were in session for two hours. the prosecutor was questioning the version of events that the soldier in question was putting forward. his version according to his lawyer is that he believes that the palestinian man, the 21-year-old lying on the ground incapacitated was already shot and was moving and he believed he had explosives on him. the army disputed that saying he did not seem to act in accordance with military procedure under a case like this. you see soldiers milling around. there is a lot of controversy about this video and about the fact he's being investigated for murder. you have the army spokesperson saying that when it comes to the procedures, the soldiers operated well in the sense that thet neutralized the terrorists, army language, following attacks but with morals and ethics this was a grave incident. we spoke to the man, the hebron

resident that took the video. this is what he had to say when he explained what happened. he takes us through the sequence of events he captured on camera. it starts moments after two palestinians have been shot after stabbing an israeli soldier. one is killed instantly. the 21-year-old is injured and is laying on the ground. fast forward, and a second soldier appears to be talking to a settler here 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. >> translator: i'm still taken by surprise by the shooting. i've taken hundreds of videos documenting incidents, and this is the most violent. >> reporter: he lives in hebron surrounded by settlers. his home has been fire-bombed

and it's being fixed. he says every member of the 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 is about. >> translator: i hope this video will reduce the scope of violence between the israelis and palestinians. i hope they will prevail and deal widely with the punishing the soldier. >> reporter: he runs in to say the army is here. she wants her younger brothers to get out of the living room. the soldier is asking about our car parked outside. he does not want us to be here. >> it's a closed military zone. >> reporter: he says if we don't leave, we'll be arrested. it seems since the video was published the army doesn't want anybody here. the israeli soldier is investigated for murder, which in itself is rare and led to an outcry along a large segment of israeli society who hold the

army in high regard. the u.n. special coordinator for the middle east peace process has condemned what he calls an apparent extrajudicial execution calling it immoral and unjust. there is a lot of support for the soldier. there's a feeling amongst certainly the right wing israelis, one poll on social media saying that most of the posts online, almost 80% of them in support of the soldier. that camp believing he's hung out to dry by the army. there's around a couple of hundred protesters outside that court now saying release the hero. so a lot of debate within israel. the different story whether you speak to palestinians. they say that these youths who carry out these attacks against an army, an army of occupation. they've been living under this for decades, and there's no hope. they attack a soldier at a military checkpoint in an occupied place. very, very different narrative. of course, now it comes to the point of how they proceed with this. that video showing what seems to be a soldier killing a man who

was already incapacitated. certainly a lot of controversy about that here. we should hear within an hour how this court will proceed with him. >> all right. we'll cross over to you then. stephanie dekker, thank you. pakistan police say they've arrested hundreds of people over sunday's suicide bomber in lahore. we go to learn more about the arrests and the ongoing investigation. imron. >> reporter: these arrests took place in the aftermath of the attack in lahore. it's said that some 5,000 people have been picked up over the last couple of months before the attack on lahore. most of them have been released, but they are holding at least 250 people that the police say and the army say are hard-core and they are saying that these people are the ones they need to investigate to try and track down the perpetrators of that lahore attack. that has been an operation ongoing and it has been an intelligence-led operation. clearly a lot of these arrests came in the last 24 hours after

that lahore attack, and as a result of that lahore attack. >> thank you for that update from islamabad. thailand's military government has released a final draft of its controversial new constitution. it will then go to a national referendum on the 7th of the august. the military suspended the constitution when it took power in 2014. we have the report from bangkok. >> reporter: it's an unusual job for military reservists, fanning out across the nation by the thousands assigned to inform the thai public about a draft constitution and a road map returning the country to democracy. but what's been playing out in thailand in the last two years since the army took over is something familiar. 2014 was the 13th successful coup in thailand, and if voted in, this will be the nation's 20th constitution. some feel this version is

designed to further entrench the existing power brokers. >> we call this a state where they try to strengthen that power more compared to the last constitution. then that's why they try to enhance it. >> reporter: he added those in control want to get further away from elections. the draft constitution calls for the entire 200-member upper house to be appointed by a committee. previously there were voted into office through general elections. for centuries agriculture is a large part of thai culture, and it plays a big role in politics. here in the pineapple heartland, some admit they really don't understand what's in the draft constitution nor what they're voting on in a few months' time. this man has been working in this field for 40 years. he'd like a return to a civilian

government. >> translator: i am concerned, as i don't know anything about this draft charter. honestly, i don't like the military. i wish we could be free like other countries. >> reporter: yet, some thais who need stability to make a living are happy with the military government's draft constitution. this man has been giving horseback rides on the beach for 15 years. >> translator: we can see that the old charter could have solved problems we have in our country, but only caused more conflicts. >> reporter: the government's road map puts a general election on the calendar in mid-2017, but there's no indication what would happen if there's a bump in that road and the public turns down the draft constitution. hours before leaving office, the president of median march has lifted a four-year state of emergency. it was imposed on rekind state after fighting between buddhists and muslims in 2012.

he announced the move on state media. we have latest. >> reporter: lifting the state of emergency is a surprise move of the president, just one day before he's handing over power to the first civilian president in half a century. on wednesday a loyalist of the leader of the national league for democracy who won a landslide during november's elections will be sworn in as the new president. she'll be sworn in with four ministers both, the historical and crucial movement on the road to democracy in myanmar. the outgoing president said in a statement that the situation no longer poses a threat. the situation heated up in 2012 during a conflict between buddhists and muslims. many were killed and more than 100,000 were displaced. many thousands fled myanmar and went on very dangerous boat journeys ending up in thailand,

malaysia and indonesia. many muslims are stateless and have no rights and no freedom of movement. lifting the state of emergency right now one day before handing over power makes many wonder if the military is not only willing to hand over the presidency but also willing to hand over a very crucial and sensitive problem to the next government. she hasn't revealed how she will solve the problem in the country. republican presidential front-runner donald trump has begun to flush out his foreign policy. he said he'd cut oil purchases from saudi arabia and may scrap a long-standing security pact with japan. alan fisher reports from washington. >> reporter: from the first moments of his campaign -- >> i would 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 started to give a little more detail how foreign policy would look under president trump. in an interview with "the new york times" he revealed he would renegotiate a long-standing security pact with japan saying the u.s. needs better terms. he would cut oil purchases from saudi arabia to force it to do more to combat isil, even though the u.s. still needs middle east energy, and he would be open to allow japan and south korea to develop nuclear weapons. one expert says trump knows the first step he'd take but hasn't thought about step two or three. >> he very much seems to have not even a cost benefit analysis, which many people applaud. he has a win/lose approach to foreign policy. if america wins, someone else has to lose, and if somebody else wins, america is by definition losing. i think that's concerning when

we talk about international cooperation on any issue. >> reporter: trump says he won't give many details what he would do in office. he sees unpredictability as a strength and a stance that challenging the recent republican party thinking. he's not anticipating democracy or respecting international alliances. >> the united nations is not a friend of democracy. it's not a friend to freedom. it's not a friend even to the united states of america, whereas you know it has its home. >> reporter: he has tapped into the raw emotions of the american pub. >> he's 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 theize lamb mcstate fight? not necessarily. they're very concerned about terrorism and afraid. we've seen levels of anxiety in the united states spike to levels that we haven't seen since post-9/11. when it comes to tapping into that emotion, he's very smart.

>> reporter: trump will be forced give for details on his foreign policy if he gets the nominati nomination. when asked who the top adviser is, he replied several times, well, it's me. to somalia. that's where al shabaab fighters are retreating, so islamic mist simple is making a comeback. they were persecuted but with security improving in some parts of the country they are again free to practice their faith. we have the report from mogadishu. >> reporter: they are raising their voices once again and want to be heard. they have been driven underground. they're leaders were killed or chased out of the country. their shrines were destroyed. even the dead were not spared. more than 1,000 graves were desecrated in southern somalia in the last decade.

there's been bomb attacks recent by, but in general there's agreement that the security situation is improving. the mystics are increasingly being seen in public. >> translator: the war in somalia affected us. there are men who everybody knows who they are that killed people and desecrated the graves of the dead ones. thanks to god's mercy they're not here today. we have existed before any group in somalia, and we will remain here. >> reporter: al shabaab, which is fighting to overthrow the somali government, considers them as nonbelievers in islam and deems them legitimate targets for attacks. while al shabaab fighters controlled large portion of the mowigadish mogadishu. notice the call to return is loud and clear. >> translator: the youth must work hard to follow its path, 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. they was once in somalia. sufi religious groups are slowly filling up. this one has more than 100 students of religious studies. the teacher can't accept more children because it's so popular. >> translator: we teach only the koran with a wood tablet and charcoal ink. most parents want their children brought up the same way they were. >> reporter: the feeling is that somalia's dark days are a thing of the past. the sufi just want to be left in peace and return to their own ways of practicing islam. the level of winter sea ice

in the arctic is a r at a record low. nasa and the u.s. national snow and ice center data say average sea ice cover was the lowest since records began in 1979. air temperatures across the arctic have went up 6 degrees celsius above average in the past year. the highjacker of an egypt air jet is now in custody. now officials look to learn miss motives. the f.b.i. unlocks the san bernardino iphone without apple's help. >> i don't want to go to my country, because i have big traumas, because people want to kill me routine ablers being rounded up by immigration. what their family and friends are doing to try to get them

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