Passport
Sometimes a Hijacking Means a Free Stopover in Beautiful Cyprus
Egyptians are joking on social media that a hijacked flight with a happy ending isn't anything to complain about.
After a Russian airliner exploded over Egypt on the way to St. Petersburg last year, officials in Cairo promised that the country would take extreme measures to increase security at its airports. But on Tuesday, an Egyptian hijacked an EgyptAir jet flying from Alexandria to Cairo, diverting it to Cyprus where he was reportedly searching for his ex-wife.
The standoff ended at the Cyprus airport when the hijacker, identified as Seif Eldin Mustafa, was arrested and the passengers were all freed. Mustafa was reportedly wearing a fake suicide belt.
The happy ending meant that Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades felt good enough to joke about the whole ordeal. Asked at a press conference Tuesday morning if he could confirm the hijacking was inspired by a conflict with a woman, the president laughed and said, “there is always a woman.” He also confirmed that the hijacking had “absolutely nothing to do with terrorism.”
There are conflicting reports about the exact reason for the hijacking, with some saying Mustafa’s threat against the plane sought the release of female prisoners in Egypt. It remains unclear how he boarded with the vest or how he managed to intimidate the pilots enough that they agreed to his request to land in Cyprus.
But Anastasiades wasn’t the only one laughing about the hijacking, even if many of the passengers were likely terrified before the harmless ending. In Egypt, more than 30,000 tweets used the Arabic version of #IWishIWasWithThem to joke that on EgyptAir, you might think you’re on a quick flight to Cairo, and end up getting a surprise vacation to Cyprus.
Photo credit: BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images