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EgyptAir hijack: Air stewardess also took 'selfie’ with suspect Seif Eldin Mustafa

Mr Mustafa faces charges including hijacking and illegal possession of explosives

Serina Sandhu
Thursday 31 March 2016 08:38 BST
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The air stewardess can be seen posing next to 59-year-old Seif Eldin Mustafa
The air stewardess can be seen posing next to 59-year-old Seif Eldin Mustafa (Facebook/Mohamed Ahmed Elklng)

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A second ‘selfie’ taken with the man suspected of hijacking an EgyptAir flight has emerged on social media.

The image appears to show an air stewardess posing next to 59-year-old Seif Eldin Mustafa while he is wearing what is now known to be a fake suicide belt. She has been named as Naira Atef according to some reports.

On Tuesday, Mr Mustafa held 72 passengers and crew members hostage on the flight from Alexandria to Cairo.

The photo comes after a selfie of Ben Innes, from Leeds, and Mr Mustafa went viral on the internet and appeared in many British newspapers.

The photo was taken after the plane was diverted to Cyprus, during the five-hour standoff on the tarmac of Larnaca airport. Mr Innes, 26, explained: “I’m not sure why I did it – I just threw caution to the wind while trying 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 him.”

Speaking to The Sun newspaper, the health and safety auditor added: “It has to be the best selfie ever."

Mr Mustafa was arrested by police following the standoff. He reportedly told them: “What’s someone to do when he hasn’t seen his wife and children for 24 years?”

Appearing in a Cypriot court on Wednesday, he was ordered to be detained for eight days as he faces charges including hijacking, illegal possession of explosives, kidnapping and threats to commit violence.

Dr Terry Apter on EgyptAir selfie

Police prosecutor Andreas Lambrianou will ask Interpol for help to establish how Mustafa managed to pass through airport security in Egypt with the fake suicide belt.

Additional reporting by PA

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