Egypt

EgyptAir plane hijacker’s sister apologizes for brother’s crime

The sister of Egyptian plane hijacker Seif Eddin Mostafa has given an account of the motives behind Mostafa's hijack of an EgyptAir plane last week, and has apologized to Egypt and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for the trouble caused by the incident.

In an interview with Saudi-based website Al-Arabiya net, the hijacker's sister Fekreya said her brother did not have the intention of hijacking the plane. He said he was going to Alexandria to spend two days there and borrowed LE100 from her. He travelled with only a small bag, carrying little but his papers and LE100 that he had borrowed from Fekreya.

The following day, he called the family from Larnaca International Airport in Cyprus saying he had hijacked a plane.

Fekreya said she initially thought he was joking, but then he went on to say that forcing Cypriot and Egyptian authorities to comply with him was the only way to see his children, whom he had not seen since 1996.

Fekreya said her brother married the Cypriot Marina Paraschou, who converted to Islam and named herself Fatema, more than 25 years ago.

Following their divorce in 1990, Fekreya described, the ex-wife travelled from her home in Cyprus in 1996 to visit Mostafa's family in Egypt. Mostafa was serving a prison sentence for a counterfeit offense and for evading military service at the time. Initially Paraschou stayed with strangers, Fekreya recalled. But when Paraschou's mother-in-law asked her to come and live in the family home in accordance with their traditions, the Cypriot refused. Quarrels ensued between mother and ex-wife, which caused Paraschou to return to Cyprus, since when she has never come back to Egypt.

Fekreya said that Paraschou attained orders from the Cypriot authorities banning her husband from entry to Cyprus, taking advantage of his criminal record. When his daughter died in an accident 17 years ago, he was unable to attend the funeral, which hugely affected him, Fekreya stated.

According to Fekreya, her brother travelled to Greece hoping to enter Cyprus from there, but could not gain access to the island that way. He also filed several lawsuits to Egyptian and Cypriot authorities, seeking to gain access to his son and daughters, but with no result.

She added that prior to the disputes with her mother-in-law, Paraschou used to call them, but after the arguments there was no communication at all.

Mostafa left prison in 1999, she said. He tried to start a business on multiple occasions, but failed as he was unable to fulfill the necessary documentation requirements due to his criminal record. He also tried and failed more than once to get a fake passport to travel abroad, according to the sister.

In an account of her conversation with Mostafa during the hijacking, Fekreya recalled how her brother had said he was safe and well. He insisted that committing such a crime was the measure he had been driven to in order to see his children after all his previous attempts had failed. He told Fekreya he was requesting asylum in a European country. At this point in their conversation, Fekreya said, security troops raided the house and took the phone from her. They tried to speak to him but he did not respond.

Fekreya's account of the relationship between her brother and the Cypriot conflicts with other media reports of Paraschou's story. In a report in Herald Scotland on Friday, the ex-wife was quoted saying Mostafa expressed no interest in the premature death of his daughter, telling Paraschou, "What do I care? It doesn't matter she was killed". 

The Herald Scotland also reported Paraschou's claim that the only contact between the couple following their divorce had been the phonecall concerning their daughter's death, with no mention of her visits to Egypt or disputes with her mother-in-law, prior to or following the divorce.

Fekreya concluded her account by saying that the family are deeply ashamed of Mostafa's actions. Stealing a bike brings disgrace on a family, she said. So Mostafa's hijack of the plane has brought infinitely more shame on the family, their district and Egypt at large. 

Fekreya offered an apology on behalf of the family to Egyptians and President Sisi.

She said the family were interrogated to disclose all information about Mostafa, adding that they were treated well during interrogations. She also underlined the family's support of Sisi's government, and expressed their hope that her brother’s crime does not negatively affect Egypt.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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