The hijacker of an EgyptAir plane, which was forced to land in Cyprus, has been taken into custody, according to police. The last of the plane's 63 passengers and crew were seen exiting the aircraft, one via a window. There were no casualties.

THE man who took a picture with the EgyptAir hijacker while being held hostage said he did it to take “a closer look” at the supposed explosives belt.

“I figured if his bomb was real I’d nothing to lose anyway,” Ben Innes said.

Innes, 26, from Leeds in northern England, was one of four foreigners held hostage along with crew members during the six-hour ordeal at Cyprus’ Larnaca airport.

He was returning home on a business trip when flight MS181 was seized.

He spoke to The Sun about his bizarre actions.

“I’m not sure why I did it, I just threw caution to the wind while trying to stay cheerful in the face of adversity. I figured if his bomb was real I’d nothing to lose anyway, so took a chance to get a closer look at it,” he said.

“I got one of the cabin crew to translate for me and asked him if I could do a selfie with him.

“He just shrugged OK so I stood by him and smiled for the camera while a stewardess did the snap. It has to be the best selfie ever.”

He said he texted his mother Pauline as the drama unfolded, adding: “My mum was obviously frantic with worry and kept telling me not to do anything to draw attention to myself.

“I didn’t know how to tell her I’d already done a selfie with the hijacker.”

Tour company uses hijack drama for promotion

An Egyptian tour company has seized on Tuesday’s EgyptAir hijacking to promote its trips.

Lions Trips published a post on Facebook shortly after the standoff ended with the suggestion “who knows you might get hijacked and go to Cyprus”.

The company is promoting an upcoming trip to Hurghada, a beach resort along the Red Sea coast, RT reports.

The post has received a mixed reaction with some calling it “genius” and others dismissing it as a cheap stunt.

او ممكن تحجز معانا رحلة ل دهب وشرم الخميس 31 مارس وممكن تتخطف وتروح قبرص ب 175 ج بس 󾌴ومين عارف يمكن الزهر يلعب وتروح فرنسا او ايطاليا ((كلاكيت تاني مره)) https://www.facebook.com/events/1723889237880692/ Posted by Lions trips on Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Ben’s family and friends react

Friends of Mr Innes previously said they didn’t know why he took the photo, and his mother said she didn’t believe her son took the picture, according toThe Mirror.

Pauline Innes said: “We don’t really want to comment on what has happened until he’s home and we know he’s safe and well.

“Obviously he’s not come home yet and there are security issues to think about — we don’t want to talk about anything until it has all been resolved.”

She added: “All we can say is that the picture is clearly not a selfie as everyone has been describing it.

“You can clearly see that it is not Ben who is taking the picture. He’s in it but he’s not taking it. But we don’t want to speak about anything until he’s back home.”

Mr Innes said he approached hijacker Mustafa for the photo abut half an hour into the ordeal at the Larnaca tarmac.

He then sent the photo to one of his flatmates as well as other friends.

“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,” Mr Innes’ flatmate Chris Tundogan told the MailOnline.

“I find it pretty mental but that’s just Ben I guess!”

Friends from the University of York, where Mr Innes graduated with a degree in environmental science in 2011, said they were not shocked by the photograph reported the UK Telegraph.

“This is not a surprise at all,” the friend said.

“Ben is a wild man and this is totally in character for him. He was a big rugby guy and very into his banter and didn’t have much respect for authority.”

Mustafa hijacked the domestic EgyptAir MS181, carrying 62 people, including eight Brits and 10 Americans, shortly after it left Alexandria for Cairo early on Tuesday morning.

Wearing a suicide belt, later found to have been fake, Mustafa forced the plane to re-route to Cyprus, where he proceeded to take several passengers and crew hostage and demanded to see his Cypriot ex-wife.