A British passenger took a photo with a hijacker on an EgyptAir flight bound for Egypt. The aircraft crew was held hostage for almost six hours.
The crew of EgyptAir flight MS181 was taken hostage by Seif Eldin Mustafa on March 29, 2016, thirty minutes after takeoff. A British passenger made an unexpected move and took a selfie with the hijacker and the bomb belt.
The EgyptAir flight departed from Alexandria to Cairo when Mustafa held everyone hostage and convinced them to land at Larnaca International Airport.
The hijacker spent hours negotiating with counterterrorism police, claiming he wanted to be handed over to his ex-wife, named Marina Parashkou. The standoff ended when Mustafa surrendered to authorities. “What should someone do when they haven’t seen their wife and children in 24 years?” he reportedly said.
Passenger Ben Innes took a surprising action while being held hostage along with at least 70 other passengers. The Briton was returning from a business trip and explained why he took the photo with Mustafa.
He explained to The Sun that he suspected the explosives were fake. “I thought, if the bomb was real, I wouldn’t have anything to lose anyway,” Ben said, asking one of the flight attendants to take the photo.
“I just went along with the situation while trying to stay in good spirits despite the adversity,” he continued. “He [Mustafa] shrugged and said yes. So I stood next to him, smiled for the camera, and a flight attendant took the photo.” A flight attendant also took a photo with Mustafa.
Photos: X @fasc1nate. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
In 2016, a 26-year-old man from the U.K., named Ben Innes, was a passenger on an EgyptAir flight headed to Cairo. During the journey, Seif Eldin Mustafa, another passenger, hijacked the plane. He wore a vest that appeared to be packed with explosives and held a detonator,… pic.twitter.com/2j5RY3Oksf
— Fascinating (@fasc1nate) December 24, 2023
