This is the astonishing moment a grinning oil worker posed for a photograph with a bomb belt-wearing plane hijacker.
Smiling broadly and with his sunglasses perched on top his head, Ben Innes had the picture taken as he was being held hostage at Larnaca Airport.
He then sent it to his flatmate in the north-east – who was stunned when he realised his friend was caught up in the EgyptAir Flight MS181 drama.
Mr Innes was en route from Alexandria to Cairo when a man identified as Seif Eldin Mustafa hijacked the Airbus A320.
He was wearing what appeared to be an explosives belt – but later turned out to be a fake – and ordered the crew to land in Cyprus.
The incident has raised fresh questions about security at Egyptian airports.
The plane was carrying 56 passengers, seven crew and one security official.
When it touched down at Larnaca Mustafa allowed most of those on board to leave the aircraft – except four crew and three passengers, including health and safety auditor Mr Innes.
The 26-year-old, who works for Aberdeen-based drilling firm TWMA, is understood to have been one of the last to escape from the aircraft shortly before Mustafa surrendered himself to the Cypriot authorities.
During the eight-hour incident, an Egyptian foreign ministry official was quoted as saying: “He’s not a terrorist, he’s an idiot. Terrorists are crazy but they aren’t stupid. This guy is.”
The dramatic incident ended calmly at around 2.40pm Cypriot time yesterday when the hijacker surrendered and the hostages were released.
Those on board the plane included eight Americans, four Britons, four Dutch citizens, two Belgians, two Greeks, a French national, an Italian and a Syrian.
Mr Innes’s flatmate, former Hazlehead Academy pupil Christopher Tundogan, said on social media: “It’s not every day your flatmate sends you a picture of him and a hijacker on a plane.”
Speaking later he said the behaviour was typical of his Leeds-born friend.
He said: “‘I have no idea why he took the selfie but I imagine he probably volunteered to take it as doesn’t shy away from anything.
“I find it pretty mental but that’s just Ben I guess!’
During the hostage situation on the Larnaca runway, Mustafa made a series of bizarre requests, including asking to meet representatives of the European Union, and to be taken to other airports.
He also handed over a four-page letter intended for his ex-wife, as a female airport official stood with her head in her hands.
A spokeswoman for TWMA said Mr Innes had confirmed he was safe and well and would be returning to the UK.
She said: “Ben was working from our Alexandria office and was travelling home with another member of staff.
“We have been in communication with both Ben and his family today, to support both throughout Tuesday’s events.
“We understand that all passengers and crew left the plane safely and we are very pleased to see the situation resolved.”
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “We are relieved that the situation at Larnaca Airport has now come to a safe conclusion. We are providing consular support to four British nationals caught up in today’s events.
“We remain in close contact with the Cypriot and Egyptian authorities.”
Councillor Alan Donnelly, who represents the Torry and Ferryhill ward on Aberdeen City Council, visited the Middle East many times during his Merchant Navy career in the 1970s and continues to holiday in many countries across the region.
He said: “There have been big changes in that time. These countries used to be run by dictators but now they’re in chaos.
“I was in Tunisia just four weeks before the beach massacre of tourists and visited Libya in 2011 during the Arab Spring.
“I still go quite regularly to Dubai and Kuwait but I’m not sure I’d visit the ones in North Africa now.
“I’d advise anybody checks with the FCO before travelling.”
