Egyptian who hijacked EgyptAir plane to attract ex-wife's attention ends up in custody

A Cypriot court on Wednesday ordered an eight-day detention for an Egyptian who hijacked an EgyptAir plane using a fake explosive belt and was forced to land on the Mediterranean island, reports the Patria news agency.

These eight days will allow the police to investigate the hijacking, which ended happily for the 55 passengers and crew members, all alive and well. The police told the court that Seif al-Din Mohamed Mustafa (58) could be charged with hijacking an aircraft and persons with the intent to take them to an unknown destination, threatening behavior, and other acts violating anti-terrorism laws.

The Egyptian was not questioned by the court, but he made a "V" sign for victory with his fingers in front of journalists after the hearing as he entered a police vehicle.

The hijacker, under the pretext of wearing an explosive belt, forced the pilot of the Airbus A-320 of the national airline EgyptAir on the Alexandria-Cairo route to head to Cyprus, 500 kilometers from the Egyptian coast. This was followed by six hours of tension at Larnaca airport for the 55 passengers and crew members who were gradually released.

The pirate demanded that his wife, a Cypriot with whom he has several children, come to the airport so he could give her a letter.
Seif al-Din Mohamed Mustafa lived in Cyprus until 1994, writes Index.