The incident took place onboard an EgyptAir flight. Credit: Mirrorimage-NL / Getty (Stock photo)
A man who posed with a plane hijacker explained why he asked for the photo.
The photo keeps going viral on social media.
It captures a moment so bizarre, it’s hard to believe.
In 2016, British man Ben Innes stood next to a hijacker during a flight crisis.
The hijacking happened on EgyptAir flight MS181 from Alexandria to Cairo.
Seif Eldin Mustafa hijacked the plane, claiming to wear a suicide belt.
The plane was forced to land at Larnaca airport in Cyprus.
Most passengers were released, but Innes stayed onboard with a few crew members and hostages.
During tense negotiations, Innes asked to take a photo with the hijacker.
The photo later spread across the globe and went viral.
Innes told The Sun he acted out of curiosity and a strange kind of bravery.
He said, “After about half an hour at Larnaca, I asked for a photo with him.”
“We were just sitting around waiting.”
“I thought, why not?”
“I threw caution to the wind and tried to stay cheerful in adversity.”
“I figured if the bomb was real, I had nothing to lose, so I took a chance to see it closer.”
Innes asked a crew member to translate his selfie request to Mustafa.
Mustafa casually agreed with a shrug.
“I stood by him and smiled while a stewardess took the snap,” Innes said.
He called it “the best selfie ever.”
After guessing the vest was fake, Ben returned to his seat.
He began plotting his next move.
In an interview with ABC News, Innes said the photo was a “well-thought-through process.”
“I wanted to interact with the hijacker,” he explained.
“Wanted him to see I was human, doing human things.”
“Wasn’t just a nameless, faceless victim.”
He also wanted a better look at the device and the hijacker.
“I needed to know if he had other weapons or accomplices.”
In an emotional moment, Innes said the photo was for his mom.
If he died, he wanted her to know he died “unafraid.”
He added he had “no regrets whatsoever.”
The five-hour standoff ended when Mustafa surrendered to authorities.
In 2019, an Egyptian court sentenced him to life in prison.
He was charged with intimidation and seizing a plane for terrorist purposes.
BBC reported his motives were unclear.
Cyprus’ president said the incident wasn’t terrorism-related.
The image recently went viral again on TheArchbishopOfBanterbury Instagram page.
Comments poured in on the bizarre moment.
“When you’re British and missing a pub story is scarier than hijacking,” one user joked.
Another added, “Not the photobomb I was expecting.”
A friend told The Guardian that Innes is “very into his banter.”
They said the photo was “totally in character for him.”
What’s less known: even a flight attendant posed for a photo with the hijacker.
This incident made global headlines and left a lasting mark on Innes.
He still gets attention on social media for his bold, risky move during the crisis.
