The British bloke who took a photo with the EgyptAir hijacker is history’s greatest hero
Earlier today, an EgyptAir flight was hijacked by Seif Eldin Mustafa, who according to according to Cypriot officials, was wearing a fake “suicide belt.” Nobody was hurt, and Mustafa ultimately surrendered. Still, it must have been a frightening situation for all the passengers.
Except, apparently, for 26-year-old Ben Innes, who handled the ostensibly stressful situation by posing for a goofy photo with the hijacker. (It’s unclear who exactly agreed to take the photo.) The Daily Mail reports:
Mr Innes is believed to have approached hijacker Mustafa while being held hostage on the tarmac, and sent it to one of his flatmates as well as other friends. ‘I have no idea why he took the selfie but I imagine he probably volunteered to take it as he’s no afraid to shy away from anything,’ Mr Innes’ flatmate Chris Tundogan told MailOnline.
Tundogan, Innes’ roommate, continued: “I find it pretty mental but that’s just Ben I guess!”
The Daily Mail also obtained an apparent WhatsApp exchange between Tundogan and his “pretty mental” pal, where Innes encourages Tundogan to “turn on the news lad!!!” Tundogan replied with appropriate concern.
Scottish Facebook users embraced the Leeds native, who now lives in Aberdeen. The Glasgow Gospel wrote, “no matter the situation, you can guarantee someone from Scotland would lighten the mood.”
All’s well that ends well, we guess.
Danielle Wiener-Bronner is a news reporter.