One man is grinning from ear to ear, while the man next to him is wearing a fake suicide belt and had hijacked the plane they were both on.
No, it isn’t a joke. It’s just a very peculiar picture.
British passenger Ben Innes, 26, took the photo with Egyptian Seif Eldin Mustafa, who is believed to be the man behind the EgyptAir hijacking.
Flight MS181 was en route from Alexandria to Cairo in Egypt before Mr Mustafa forced the pilot to divert the flight to Larnaca airport in Cyprus – threatening the plane with an explosives belt which turned out to be made out of iPhone cases tied together with cloth.
At some stage during the six-hour stand-off which ensued, Mr Innes found an opportunity to pose for a photo with his hijacker.
The health and safety auditor then reportedly sent the picture to a friend, saying, “You know your boy doesn't f*** about. Turn on the news lad!!!” in a series of messages.
Ben Innes bragged about the incident, and the photo, in text messages sent to his mates. Source: Supplied
Mr Innes' friends said they were as bemused as anyone that he took the photo, while social media did not seem to think the situation was a laughing matter.
Mr Innes' sister, Sarah, also tweeted, "Only Ben could get a selfie! #proud #EgyptAir," which she later deleted.
Meanwhile his mother Pauline told UK Press the photograph was not a selfie, as had been reported in mainstream media.
"All we can say is that the picture is clearly not a selfie as everyone has been describing it," she said.
Seif Eldin Mustafa eventually surrendered and was arrested by police. His motives remain unclear.
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