All passengers and crew of a packed Turkish Airlines plane were released unharmed after a hijacker seized the aircraft. He was arrested at Athens international airport after a phone conversation with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Greek officials.

Apparently the 20-year-old Turkish national,named by police as Ozgur Gencaslas, appeared to have emotional problems, possibly connected to a family dispute, the authorities said later.

Police found no trace of explosives or a weapon after initial reports that he was carrying a bomb when he seized the internal Turkish flight.

He had been demanding that the plane fly on to Germany after a refuelling stop in the Greek capital.

After releasing all of the passengers, he reportedly tried to keep the pilots aboard but finally surrendered.

Some passengers were heard laughing with relief after their five-hour ordeal as they boarded the buses heading towards the terminal.