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Seif al-Din Mohamed Mostafa appears in court as ex-wife breaks silence over EgyptAir hijacking

THE hijacker behind the EgyptAir ordeal has become the butt of jokes online, as his wife breaks her silence over the “embarrassing” incident.

Victoria CrawVictoria Craw
@Victoria_Craw
2 min read
March 31, 2016 - 1:21AM
Egyptair tweets
Egyptair tweets

THE HIJACKER behind the EgyptAir drama that captured global headlines has become the butt of internet jokes, as his ex-wife said she is “so embarrassed” by the ordeal.

58-year-old Egyptian national Seif al-Din Mohamed Mostafa appeared in court on Wednesday and could face charges including hijacking, kidnapping, reckless and threatening behaviour, and breaches of the anti-terror law.

He has been remanded for eight days on the island and flashed a peace sign to waiting journalists outside.

Motives for the hijacking remain unclear however police prosecutor Andreas Lambrianou said Mostafa asked police: “What’s someone supposed to do when he hasn’t seen his wife and children in 24 years and the Egyptian government won’t let him?”

The siege captured global media headlines Tuesday as snipers surrounded the plane that lay stranded for six hours with seven passengers and crew on board. Mostafa demanded to speak to his Cypriot wife Marina Parashkou who arrived with police at the airport.

“I’m so embarrassed by all the publicity and I don’t want to see him,” she reportedly said.

Officials described him as “psychologically unstable” after pictures emerged of him wearing a fake explosive belt fashioned from iPhone cases and footage showed him passing through airport security.

Since the event, Egyptians and others have taken to social media to poke fun at the hijacking, with many using the hashtag #loveisintheair. Others did not think it quite so hilarious amid heightened terror fears and chastened people for joking about it.

It comes after passenger Ben Innes told The Sunabout the bizarre picture that emerged from inside the plane, showing him grinning next to Mostafa.

The Health and Safety manager said he figured he had “nothing to lose” and decided to “stay cheerful in the face of adversity.”

“I figured if his bomb was real I’d nothing to lose anyway, so took a chance to get a closer look at it,” he said.

“I got one of the cabin crew to translate for me and asked him if I could do a selfie with him.

“He just shrugged OK so I stood by him and smiled for the camera while a stewardess did the snap. It has to be the best selfie ever.”

Other passengers said they were genuinely afraid, with one saying” “we didn’t believe we would make it back to the ground”.

Noha Saleh said they were told there was a “technical problem” and staff were professional and normal.

Fayza Bakry said they had little contact with the hijacker. “He didn’t talk to us, he was dealing with the pilot and the hostess, he didn’t talk to any passenger on the plane,” she said.

Ben Innes' selfie with Seif Eldin Mustafa wearing his fake suicide belt on the hijacked EgyptAir has been seen around the world.
Ben Innes' selfie with Seif Eldin Mustafa wearing his fake suicide belt on the hijacked EgyptAir has been seen around the world.

Earlier, CCTV images showed the hijacker passing through airport security before strapping on his “explosive belt”.

The situation has raised concern about security at Egyptian airports just five months after a bomb exploded on a Russian airliner killing all 224 people on board.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/seif-aldin-mohamed-mostafa-appears-in-court-as-exwife-breaks-silence-over-egyptair-hijacking/news-story/c8f8efa9c147c1a778a985aa35cdeff6