A man who hijacked an EgyptAir plane on a domestic flight and forced it to divert to Cyprus is claiming political asylum there, authorities have revealed.
The claim, being handled by lawyers on behalf of 59-year-old Seif Eddin Mustafa, will be considered before Cyprus considers a request for extradition from Egypt, Cyprus' interior minister Socrates Hasikos said.
Mustafa was arrested last month after a six-hour standoff in which the Airbus A320 carrying 72 passengers and crew was forced to land at Larnaca airport.
The Egyptian - described by Cypriot authorities as "psychologically unstable" - had told the plane's crew he was wearing a suicide belt and would blow up the plane unless they agreed to his demands.
The belt was discovered to be fake - and 26-year-old British man Ben Innes hit headlines back in the UK when he posed with his captor for a photograph taken by a member of the crew.
Mr Innes, whose mother later called his behaviour "stupid", explained his impulsive action by saying he "just threw caution to the wind while trying to stay cheerful in the face of adversity".
Mustafa's Cypriot former wife, Marina Paraschou, described him as a dangerous drug addict who had beaten her and terrorised their four children during their marriage.
He had been deported and banned from the island in 1990 and had said he wanted to see his family after 24 years.
Ms Paraschou told a local paper: "This man never cared for his children for one minute, either when he lived here or when he went away," Ms Paraschou is quoted as saying.
"He only offered pain, misery and terror. And even now when he's in police custody, my children and I are afraid."
She also said separately that the hijack was an excuse for Mustafa to seek asylum in Cyprus.
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