In 2016, 26-year-old Ben Innes, a cheeky health and safety auditor from Leeds living in Aberdeen, found himself in a proper Hollywood thriller when his Egypt Air flight MS181 was hijacked mid-air. What did he do? Panic? Cry? Nope. He strolled up to the bloke threatening to blow the plane to bits and snapped a selfie that’s still got the internet buzzing.
Picture this: Flight MS181, cruising from Alexandria to Cairo, when Seif Eldin Mustafa, a man claiming to be strapped with a suicide belt, jumps up and demands the plane divert to Larnaca, Cyprus. The pilot, sweating bullets, reroutes to save the 55 passengers and crew. Once grounded, Mustafa lets 52 passengers scarper, leaving just seven souls onboard—three passengers, four crew, and our lad Ben.
Now, most folks would be praying or plotting an escape. Not Ben. With the calm of a bloke ordering a pint, he saunters up to Mustafa, gets a flight attendant to translate, and asks, “Mate, fancy a selfie?” Astonishingly, Mustafa, looking like he’s auditioning for a villain role with his bulky “bomb” vest, gives a nod. Click. There’s Ben, grinning like he’s at a mate’s stag do, next to a supposed bomber. The photo’s pure madness—Innes beaming, Mustafa stone-faced, and a vest that looks like it’s stuffed with kitchen appliances.
Why risk it? Ben later spilled the tea: “I thought, if his bomb’s real, I’m toast anyway. Might as well have a gander and keep my spirits up.” He had a hunch the vest was dodgy—something about Mustafa’s vibe screamed more “bloke in a midlife crisis” than “hardened terrorist.” So, after the snap, Ben coolly returns to his seat, plotting his next move while firing off a WhatsApp to mates: “Turn on the news, lad! Your boy’s in the thick of it!”
The selfie hit the internet like a rogue firework, sparking a global frenzy. Some called Ben a reckless nutter; others hailed him a legend for keeping his cool. Meanwhile, after hours of tense negotiations on the tarmac, Mustafa surrenders to Cypriot forces, hands up like he’s in a bad action flick. Surprise, surprise—the “bomb” was faker than a knockoff Rolex. Egyptian officials summed it up: “He’s not a terrorist, he’s an idiot. Terrorists are mad, but they’re not this daft.”
Ben, one of the last to stroll off the plane, shrugged off the hero label. “Wasn’t about bravery,” he said. “I just wanted to stay human in a bonkers situation. That selfie? Just me making the best of a rubbish day.”
Years on, Ben’s selfie with the hijacker remains the stuff of legend—a batshit, brilliant moment of British grit, proving that sometimes, the best way to face a crisis is with a smile and a camera.
