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EgyptAir Flight 181

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EgyptAir Flight 181 was a domestic passenger flight from Borg El Arab Airport in Alexandria, Egypt, to Cairo International Airport. On 29 March 2016, the flight was hijacked by an Egyptian man claiming to wear an explosive belt and forced to divert to Larnaca International Airport in Cyprus. Most passengers and crew were released by the hijacker shortly after landing. The hijacker surrendered about seven hours later, and everybody escaped from the aircraft unharmed. The belt was later revealed to have contained mobile phones and no explosives. The aircraft involved in the incident was an EgyptAir Airbus A320-200.[1][2][3][4]

EgyptAir Flight 181
SU-GCB, the aircraft involved in the incident, 2010
Hijacking
Date29 March 2016 (2016-03-29)
SummaryHijacking
SiteLarnaca International Airport, Larnaca, Cyprus
Aircraft
Aircraft typeAirbus A320-233
OperatorEgyptAir
IATA flight No.MS181
ICAO flight No.MSR181
Call signEgypt Air 181
RegistrationSU-GCB
Flight originBorg El Arab Airport, Alexandria, Egypt
DestinationCairo International Airport, Cairo, Egypt
Occupants63
Passengers56
Crew7
Fatalities0
Injuries0
Survivors63

Hijacking

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Flight 181 departed Borg El Arab Airport in Alexandria at 06:38 local time (UTC+2) for a short flight to Cairo International Airport, carrying 56 passengers plus seven crew.[5][6][7] After takeoff, the captain was informed that a passenger claiming to be wearing an explosive belt was demanding that the aircraft be flown to Cyprus.[7][8] A passenger later reported that, during the flight, the flight attendants collected the passengers' passports. The plane then started gaining altitude, and it was announced that they were diverting to Larnaca.[9] The aircraft safely landed at Larnaca International Airport at 08:46 local time (UTC+3), and stopped in a remote parking area. The airport was then closed to all incoming and outgoing traffic.[10][6]

Resolution

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After landing at Larnaca, negotiations began and everyone on board was freed except three passengers and four crew.[11] The hijacker later demanded to see his estranged wife, living in Cyprus, and sought asylum in the country.[12][10][13] He also gave police a letter addressed to his former wife.[1] Cypriot state media said that the hijacker wanted the release of female prisoners in Egypt,[14][15] and, according to Egyptian officials, he had been asking to speak to European Union officials.[16]

Seven more people later exited the plane via the stairs, and a crew member climbed down from a cockpit window.[17] At 14:41 local time, the Cypriot foreign ministry tweeted that the hijacking was over, and the hijacker had been arrested.[18] None of the passengers or crew were harmed. In an earlier tweet, the ministry identified the hijacker as Seif Eldin Mustafa, an Egyptian national.[19][20]

Later in the day, a photo was circulated of a passenger seen smiling beside Mustafa, whose supposed explosive belt was visible underneath his coat.[21] The passenger was later identified as Ben Innes, and the photo went viral.[22][23] A journalist described Innes's actions as irresponsible and one University of Cambridge psychologist said Innes might have been driven by "pure narcissism", explaining that social media lacks the checks and balances of older forms of communication.[24] Innes later stated that he simply wanted ‘a chance to get a closer look’ at the supposed explosive device' to determine whether the device was real.[25]

Passengers and crew

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There were six Egyptian crew members and one Egyptian security official aboard Flight 181.[8] Of the 56 passengers, 30 were Egyptian, 14 were European, and 8 were from the United States.[8] Opera singer Farrah el-Dibany was a passenger on this flight.[26]

Aircraft

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The aircraft involved was an Airbus A320-233 registered as SU-GCB, MSN 2079. Its first flight was on 8 July 2003, it was delivered to EgyptAir on 31 October 2003 and was twelve years old at the time of the hijacking. The aircraft was equipped with two IAE V2500 engines.[27][28][29]

Perpetrator

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After being detained, Seif Eldin Mustafa was held in custody in Cyprus.[30] The government of Egypt and Cyprus stated their intentions for him to be extradited for prosecution in Egypt. A legal process took place in Cyprus as a court order is required for extradition. An original verdict in support of extradition was appealed by Mustafa, on the grounds of human rights risks in Egypt.[31] Mustafa was eventually extradited to Egypt, where he was tried, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment.[32][33]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Smith, Helena (30 March 2016). "Cyprus denies Egyptian claim it has requested handover of hijacker". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  2. ^ "EgyptAir hijack: Suicide belt worn by the hijacker was fake | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". dna. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  3. ^ "EGYPTAIR FLIGHT MS181" (Press release). EGYPTAIR. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  4. ^ Egypt Air [@EGYPTAIR] (29 March 2016). "All hostages released" صرح مصدر مسئول بمصر للطيران أنه تم الأفراج عن جميع الرهائن والقبض على المختطف، هذا وسوف نوافيكم بآخر المستجدات أول بأول. [Official sources at EGYPTAIR declared the release of all the hostages and the arrest of the hijacker.] (Tweet) (in Arabic). Retrieved 29 March 2016 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ "MS181 Flight, EgyptAir, Alexandria to Cairo". www.flightr.net. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  6. ^ a b "MS181 Flight Status". Flightradar24.
  7. ^ a b "Egypt Air Domestic Flight Hijacked, Lands in Cyprus". Bloomberg Business. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  8. ^ a b c "EgyptAir hijack: Man surrenders at Larnaca airport". BBC News. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  9. ^ Rothwell, James (29 March 2016). "EgyptAir hijacked plane: Man 'demands to have letter sent to his ex-wife' after taking passengers hostage". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  10. ^ a b "Egypt plane hijacked – latest". BBC News. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  11. ^ "EgyptAir hijack ends with passengers freed". Reuters. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  12. ^ R.W. (30 March 2016). "The Economist explains: Why hijackings are no longer common". The Economist. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  13. ^ "'Hijacked plane with suspected bomb lands in Cyprus". ITV. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  14. ^ @SkyNewsBreak (29 March 2016). "Cypriot state broadcaster has reported #Egyptair flight #MS181 hijacker is asking for the release of prisoners in Egypt" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ "Hijacked Plane: Foreign Hostages Held on Jet". Sky News. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  16. ^ "Live: EgyptAir Passenger Plane Hijacked". Sky News. 29 March 2016. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  17. ^ "EgyptAir plane hijacker arrested at Cyprus airport". The Guardian. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  18. ^ @CyprusMFA (29 March 2016). "Its over. The #hijacker arrested. #LarnacaAirport # Egyptair" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  19. ^ Thompson, Nick (29 March 2016). "Hijacked EgyptAir flight MS181: Live updates". CNN. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  20. ^ Burton, Fred (3 April 2016). "Behind the Scenes of an Aircraft Hijacking". Stratfor. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  21. ^ Booth, Robert (29 March 2016). "Images allegedly show EgyptAir hijacker posing for selfies with 'bomb'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  22. ^ "Why did British man snap a selfie with a hijacker?". CBS News. London: CBS Interactive. Associated Press. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  23. ^ Readhead, Harry (31 March 2016). "The hijack 'selfie' guy has become a meme". Metro International. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  24. ^ Withnall, Adam (30 March 2016). "EgyptAir 'selfie' Briton Ben Innes took inappropriate photo with hijacker due to 'pure narcissism'". The Independent.
  25. ^ https://www.newsweek.com/real-story-behind-egyptair-hijacker-picture-poses-442552
  26. ^ "One guy slept through the entire EgyptAir hijacking. Another lost his cool over confiscated chicken". nationalpost. 31 March 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  27. ^ "Egyptair SU-GCB (Airbus A320 – MSN 2079)". Airfleets.net. Airfleets aviation. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  28. ^ "SU-GCB EgyptAir Airbus A320-200". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  29. ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Airbus A320-232 SU-GCB Larnaca Airport (LCA)". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  30. ^ France-Presse, Agence (30 March 2016). "Cyprus court orders detention of EgyptAir hijacker". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  31. ^ Mark, Philip (4 November 2016). "Egyptair hijacker to appeal extradition". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  32. ^ "Cyprus extradites EgyptAir hijacker who took photos with hostages". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  33. ^ "Egypt court hands life sentence to 2016 Egypt Air hijacker". Al Jazeera. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
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