EgyptAir Hijacking Ends Peacefully

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Key Takeaways:

  • A man was arrested in Cyprus after threatening an EgyptAir flight, with no injuries to passengers or crew.
  • The passenger, Seif El Din Mustafa, claimed to wear an explosive belt, forcing the Cairo-bound A320 to divert to Cyprus.
  • His motivation appeared to be personal (related to his ex-wife) rather than political, raising concerns about airport security in Egypt.
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Authorities in Cyprus have arrested a man who threatened an EgyptAir flight on Tuesday, and nobody was hurt. The passenger, Seif El Din Mustafa, who boarded in Alexandria, Egypt, told crew members he was wearing an explosive belt and demanded that the crew divert the Cairo-bound A320 to land in Cyprus. Mustafa was “unstable,” Cyprus official Homer Mavrommatis told CNN. “He kept on changing his mind and asking for different things.” His motivation seems to not have been political, but may have been related to his ex-wife. The incident has raised concerns about airport security in Egypt, according to CNN, but it’s not clear if the man had any actual explosives.

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