Turkish authorities have released the young Cypriot flight attendant who was on board the Falcon aircraft carrying Libya’s Chief of Staff, General An Haddad, on the flight to Turkey. On the return flight from Turkey, which ended in a fatal crash, she had been replaced by Greek flight attendant Maria Pappa, who is among the victims. Turkish authorities informed the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs of this development on December 24.

According to protothema, the Cypriot flight attendant was detained for two days at a police station near the crash site. After providing the explanations requested by the Turkish authorities, she was released without any conditions and has since left Turkey.

The questioning of the Cypriot flight attendant took on thriller-like dimensions following a report by a reputable Turkish news website, which claimed that she had been detained and interrogated by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) because she did not board the fatal return flight.

The Turkish publication, which makes no reference to the deceased Greek flight attendant Maria Pappa, refers instead to a female flight attendant from Cyprus—described as a citizen of the “Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus,” without naming her—who was part of the crew on the inbound flight to Turkey and was allegedly located at her hotel and “detained and interrogated.”

The report, which has raised legitimate questions in Turkey as investigations into the December 23 Falcon crash continue, has not been officially denied or commented on by Turkish authorities to date.

According to the Turkish website, two key questions emerged after the crash:
first, why the Libyan delegation, which normally travels to Turkey on scheduled flights, used a private jet on this occasion; and second, why the flight crew that flew the aircraft—owned by an airline operating out of Malta—to Turkey was changed prior to its return to Libya. Although authorities may have reached conclusions on these matters, no official explanations have yet been made public.

The report further claims that, with MIT’s involvement in the investigation, a previously undisclosed development came to light. At the initiative of MIT and on the orders of the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Cypriot flight attendant was allegedly taken from her hotel to Ankara Police Headquarters, where she was interrogated by the Anti-Terrorism Department. The report adds that, due to her Cypriot nationality, the process was conducted discreetly and with heightened sensitivity. According to the publication, no “tangible” information emerged from the initial interrogation, although her connections remain under investigation.

Meanwhile, the identification process for the body of Greek flight attendant Maria Pappa has not yet been completed. According to protothema, Pappa was not originally from Rhodes, as initially reported, but had lived there for some time, which explains her association with the island. In communication with protothema.gr, her partner stated that they have received no official information from Turkish authorities and are awaiting DNA confirmation. It is noted that a DNA sample has been provided by Pappa’s brother, according to the same sources.