A man who posed for a photo with a plane hijacker explained why he asked for the photo in the first place.
It is a photo that continues to go viral on social media, capturing a moment so bizarre it’s hard to believe.
In the image, British man Ben Innes stands next to a plane hijacker during a 2016 flight crisis. But what’s the real story behind this jaw-dropping photo?
The ordeal began on an Egyptair flight MS181 from Alexandria to Cairo, which took a terrifying turn when a man - later identified as Seif Eldin Mustafa - hijacked the plane while donning what appeared to be a suicide belt.
As reported by BBC News, the aircraft was forced to land at Larnaca airport in Cyprus, with most passengers being released except for a few crew members and three hostages, including Innes.
During the intense negotiations between officials and Mustafa, Innes saw an opportunity to snap a photograph with the hijacker - an image that would later be shared across the globe.
Speaking to The Sun, Innes revealed his peculiar mix of bravery and curiosity, saying, "After about half an hour at Larnaca, I asked for a photo with him as we were sitting around waiting. I thought, why not? 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 it."
Innes managed to get one of the cabin crew to translate his unusual request to Mustafa, who nonchalantly agreed to the selfie. "He just shrugged OK, so I stood by him and smiled for the camera while a stewardess did the snap," Innes recounts. "It has to be the best selfie ever."
After realizing that the vest was most likely fake, Ben says he returned to his seat to "plot his next move".
In another interview with ABC News, Innes explained that the photo was a "well-thought-through process".
"I wanted to interact with the hijacker," Innes further explained. "I wanted him to understand that I was a human. I was doing human things. That I wasn't just a nameless, faceless victim."
"I also wanted to get a better look at the device, at him. I needed to understand if he had any other weapons, if there were any other hijackers who I hadn't seen," he added.
In an emotional revelation, the Brit also explained that the photo was a way to show his mom that, if he did die, he would have died "unafraid".
Innes added that he had "no regrets whatsoever".
The standoff concluded five hours later when Mustafa surrendered to the authorities.
He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison by an Egyptian court in 2019, facing charges of intimidation and seizing a plane for a terrorist purpose.
BBC reported at the time that the alleged hijacker's motives were unclear, but the Cypriot president did state that the incident was not terrorism-related.
The image has once again gone viral on the popular Instagram page TheArchbishopOfBanterbury, with people once again commenting on the bizarre situation.
"When you’re British and the thought of missing out on a story for the pub is scarier than a hijacking," one person joked.
Another quipped: "Not the photobomb I was expecting."
Per The Guardian, a friend of Innes described him as "very into his banter”, and that the photo was "totally in character for him".
What is less known about this story is that even one of the flight attendants also posed for a photo with the hijacker:
This incident not only left a mark on global news but also on Innes, who inadvertently continues to be highlighted on social media for his audacious, if not risky, approach to a high-stress situation.
