Cyprus deportation of Egyptian hijacker delayed

Proceedings to extradite a man accused of hijacking an EgyptAir plane and diverting it to Cyprus were delayed on Friday after a court adjourned the hearing for three weeks.

Handcuffed Egyptian Seif al-Din Mohamed Mostafa, 58, arrived at court in Nicosia wearing a white T-shirt with the hand-drawn message "Cici killer" emblazoned on the front in blue.

It was not known if the slogan, accompanied by the filled in outline of a hand, was a reference to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Before the suspect entered the courtroom police told him to button up his shirt to cover the message.

During the hearing Mostafa stood quietly while the proceedings were translated from Greek to Arabic.

The prosecution asked for more time to present their case as additional documentation is expected from Egypt as part of the extradition process.

Cyprus has approved a request from Cairo to extradite Mostafa, who reportedly argues that he faces the death penalty if sent back to Egypt.

However, authorities in Cyprus have said they have written assurances from Cairo that Mostafa will not face the death penalty at a trial in Egypt.

His defence lawyer Robertos Vrahimi said Mostafa is claiming asylum.

The next hearing will be on May 13, and the defence did not object to Mostafa remaining in custody.

He is accused of using a fake suicide belt to seize the Alexandria-to-Cairo flight on March 29 and force it to land in Larnaca.

Mostafa, described by authorities as psychologically unstable, has said he acted out of desperation to see his Cypriot ex-wife and children.

She has been quoted by Cypriot media as describing their five years of marriage as "hell".

The hijacking ended peacefully with Mostafa's arrest, and police say he gave a voluntary statement admitting to the offence.

Most of the 55 passengers were quickly released, but some escaped just minutes before the six-hour standoff ended.
Source: AFP