In one of the most surreal and unsettling aviation incidents in recent memory, a passenger aboard a packed commercial flight calmly posed for a photo with a man claiming to have a bomb strapped to his body — moments after he allegedly threatened to blow up the aircraft. The shocking image, showing the smiling passenger standing shoulder to shoulder with the suspected hijacker, has now ricocheted across the internet and stunned security experts around the globe.
The dramatic mid-air standoff unfolded during a flight en route from Alexandria to Cairo, when a man wearing what appeared to be an explosive belt stormed the front of the plane. Witnesses told BBC News that the suspect ordered the pilot to divert the flight while waving what he claimed was a detonator. “There was a moment of pure silence,” one woman on board recalled. “Everyone froze. We thought this was the end.”
According to investigators, the plane was forced to land at Larnaca Airport in Cyprus, where a tense negotiation began. But what no one expected was for one of the passengers — later identified as a British national — to walk calmly toward the front of the aircraft and ask the hijacker for a photograph. “He actually smiled and agreed,” another passenger told Reuters. “It was like something out of a movie.”
A passenger casually took a selfie with the man who hijacked their plane and threatened to blow it up. @BBCNews
The now-infamous selfie shows the suspect, wearing a grey vest and holding a small device, flanked by the grinning passenger who extended his arm to capture the image. Within minutes, the photo had spread across social media platforms, sparking disbelief, laughter, and outrage in equal measure. Aviation analyst Daniel Hodge told CNN that the image “may become one of the most bizarre artifacts in aviation security history.”
Officials later identified the alleged hijacker as an Egyptian national with personal motives rather than terrorist ties. According to a statement from the Cyprus Police, the man had demanded to speak with his ex-wife who lived in Cyprus. “This appears to have been a highly emotional and erratic act, not an organized terrorist operation,” an investigator said in an interview with The Guardian.
Despite the surreal tone the photo created, those on board say the situation was terrifying. “It wasn’t funny at the time,” one passenger told The Independent. “We were whispering to each other, praying, trying not to make eye contact. Then suddenly we see this guy walking up for a selfie. It felt unreal.”
“He just walked up and took a photo with the hijacker. We couldn’t believe it.” — passenger @guardian
Airport officials confirmed that after several hours of negotiation, the suspect surrendered without detonating any device. Bomb disposal units later determined the explosive belt was fake, made of mobile phone cases and wires designed to resemble a bomb. “It was a hoax — but a dangerous one,” said a spokesperson for ICAO. “The fear was real, and any sudden move could have ended in tragedy.”
The passenger behind the selfie, later identified in international media reports, reportedly told friends he took the photo because he “wanted to have proof” of what happened. In an interview with The Telegraph, he described the moment as “weirdly calm” and said he never truly believed the device was real. “He wasn’t sweating, wasn’t nervous. It just didn’t feel like a real bomb,” he said.
Security experts are divided on the man’s actions. Some have criticized it as reckless and dangerous, arguing it could have provoked the hijacker. Others have suggested the calm interaction may have helped diffuse the tension on board. “When fear is weaponized, unexpected behavior can throw off a perpetrator,” one aviation psychologist explained to The Sydney Morning Herald.
This hijacking in Cyprus just took a surreal turn: a passenger asked for a selfie with the man wearing a fake bomb. @CNN
The selfie itself has since become a viral cultural artifact, with hashtags like #HijackSelfie and #Unbelievable trending on X. Memes and edited versions of the image have spread globally, sparking debates over how modern society reacts to crisis situations. “It’s the kind of image that says everything about the world we live in,” one commentator posted. “Terror and absurdity, side by side.”
Authorities have since praised the flight crew for their handling of the incident, noting that their composure and immediate response procedures helped ensure all passengers made it off the plane safely. “We got lucky,” one official told Reuters. “Fake or not, anything could have gone wrong.”
As the hijacker remains in custody awaiting formal charges, the selfie has taken on a strange, lasting afterlife online. “People can’t believe it’s real,” the passenger said in his interview. “But it was. And somehow, in the middle of fear, I just… pressed the button.”
The hijacker’s “explosive belt” turned out to be fake. But the selfie is very, very real.
@Telegraph
Experts say the incident will likely be studied in security briefings for years to come — not only for its operational response, but for what it reveals about human behavior in moments of high-stakes danger. “That photo might end up in textbooks,” one security analyst told Bloomberg. “It’s chilling, absurd, and unforgettable — all at once.”