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| EgyptAir hijacker Seif Eldin Mustafa took control of flight MS181 using 'bomb' made of phone cases | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The man who hijacked an EgyptAir jet on Tuesday morning did so using nothing but a number of iPhone cases tied together with cloth, authorities in Egypt and Cyprus have said. | The man who hijacked an EgyptAir jet on Tuesday morning did so using nothing but a number of iPhone cases tied together with cloth, authorities in Egypt and Cyprus have said. |
| The first images are starting to emerge of the man believed to be the hijacker who diverted a plane from Cairo to Cyprus, leading to a tense six-hour stand-off. | The first images are starting to emerge of the man believed to be the hijacker who diverted a plane from Cairo to Cyprus, leading to a tense six-hour stand-off. |
| Identified by officials as Egyptian national Seif Eldin Mustafa, the images purport to show a thin man in glasses, in his late forties or early fifties, sporting what looks like a suicide bomb belt. | Identified by officials as Egyptian national Seif Eldin Mustafa, the images purport to show a thin man in glasses, in his late forties or early fifties, sporting what looks like a suicide bomb belt. |
| But in a statement, Egypt's Civil Aviation Ministry said they had determined the belt did not in fact contain any explosive material. | But in a statement, Egypt's Civil Aviation Ministry said they had determined the belt did not in fact contain any explosive material. |
| "Security in Cyprus confirmed that the explosive belt worn by the man who hijacked the plane was fake," it said. | "Security in Cyprus confirmed that the explosive belt worn by the man who hijacked the plane was fake," it said. |
| A blurred Reuters image is believed to show Mustafa exiting the plane in a jacket along with the last remaining hostages onto the tarmac at Larcana airport. | A blurred Reuters image is believed to show Mustafa exiting the plane in a jacket along with the last remaining hostages onto the tarmac at Larcana airport. |
| And at a press conference shortly after the hijacker's arrest,Cyprus' Foreign Affairs Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said the suspect surrendered voluntarily and was in a fragile mental state. | And at a press conference shortly after the hijacker's arrest,Cyprus' Foreign Affairs Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said the suspect surrendered voluntarily and was in a fragile mental state. |
| On motives, officials said the hijacker kept asking for "many things", including to go to another airport and to speak to an EU official as well as the previously-documented demands to see his ex-wife and for the release of political prisoners. | On motives, officials said the hijacker kept asking for "many things", including to go to another airport and to speak to an EU official as well as the previously-documented demands to see his ex-wife and for the release of political prisoners. |
| And, revealingly, Kasoulides said that the "explosives belt" the hijacker was wearing proved to be a number of phone covers. | And, revealingly, Kasoulides said that the "explosives belt" the hijacker was wearing proved to be a number of phone covers. |
| Earlier, three images of Mustafa were alleged to have been taken at various points while the hostage situation was still ongoing inside the plane. | Earlier, three images of Mustafa were alleged to have been taken at various points while the hostage situation was still ongoing inside the plane. |
| One shows clearly the device strapped round Mustafa’s waist. | One shows clearly the device strapped round Mustafa’s waist. |
| Another image shows Mustafa standing at the front of the plane on his own, and was taken from behind seats a number of rows away. | Another image shows Mustafa standing at the front of the plane on his own, and was taken from behind seats a number of rows away. |
| And a third shows Mustafa standing with an almost casual stance next to an unknown passenger, who appears to be grinning. | And a third shows Mustafa standing with an almost casual stance next to an unknown passenger, who appears to be grinning. |
| Earlier, the man was incorrectly named by officials as Ibrahim Samaha, an Egyptian vet based at the university in Alexandria. But that was later corrected – not least when Dr Samaha himself spoke to the BBC to say he was a passenger on the flight and had since been released, while the hijacker was still on the plane. | Earlier, the man was incorrectly named by officials as Ibrahim Samaha, an Egyptian vet based at the university in Alexandria. But that was later corrected – not least when Dr Samaha himself spoke to the BBC to say he was a passenger on the flight and had since been released, while the hijacker was still on the plane. |