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<\/p>\nA Brit with "nothing to lose" asked a terrorist for a selfie after the plane he was on was hijacked.<\/p>\n
Ben Innis, from Leeds, was on board EgyptAir flight MS181 in 2016 when it was hijacked by Seif Eldin Mustafa, who appeared to be wearing a suicide bomb vest.<\/p>\n
The plane diverted from its route to Cairo and instead landed at Larnaca airport in Cyprus where everybody bar three passengers and four crew members were allowed off safely. Innis was among those Mustafa kept hostage.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Executed man's 'death erection' and Amy Winehouse's poo among curious museum exhibits<\/b><\/p>\n
Instead of panicking, the brazen bit decided to ask Mustafa for the now-viral selfie while negotiations were underway between officials and the hijacker. You can see a video of the moment here.<\/p>\n
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Innis told The Sun: \u201cI am not sure why I did it, I just threw caution to the wind.<\/p>\n
\u201cI figured if his bomb was real I\u2019d nothing to lose anyway, so I took a chance to get a closer look at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got one of the cabin crew to translate for me and asked him if I could do a selfie with him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe just shrugged OK so I stood by him and smiled for the camera while a stewardess did the snap. <\/p>\n
He added: \u201cIt has to be the best selfie ever.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Innes sent the snap to his mates in the UK, saying: "You know your boy doesn't f*** about. Turn on the news lad!!!" One pal responded: "Wtf? Is that a bomb attached to the guys chest? You ok? Let us know when you get off."<\/p>\n
Innes' flatmate Chris Tundogan told MailOnline: "I have no idea why he took the selfie but I imagine he probably volunteered to take it as he's not afraid to shy away from anything.<\/p>\n
"I find it pretty mental but that's just Ben I guess!"<\/p>\n
Mustafa – whose bomb vest was fake – eventually gave himself up after roughly five hours, releasing Innis and the other hostages. Cypriot state media said he was asking for the release of some female prisoners in his native Egypt.<\/p>\n
He was later extradited to Egypt and sentenced to life in prison.<\/p>\n
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Innis' selfie soon did the rounds on social media and shot him to international fame. <\/p>\n
He was back in the news in 2019 after admitting in court to flashing. The Sun reported Innis had been on a boozy stag do in Edinburgh when he drunkenly urinated while facing five women, who moved away and contacted police. <\/p>\n
Defence lawyer Liam Kildare said: "This was an unpleasant incident and the women should not have to put up with this kind of behaviour. Mr Innes accepts that. He is very ashamed."<\/p>\n
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