Cyprus Orders Plane Hijacking Suspect Extradited to Egypt
A Cypriot court ruled on Friday that an Egyptian man accused of hijacking a plane and diverting it to Cyprus can be extradited to Cairo for his alleged crimes.
Nicosia District Court judge Dora Constantinou was satisfied that Seif al-Din Mohamed Mostafa, 58, would get a fair trial in Egypt and would not be persecuted for his political beliefs.
"I have no doubt that the offences described in the extradition request are offences which can constitute an extradition order," the judge's ruling said.
"The offences are part of the common criminal code and under no circumstances can they be considered political," she added.
Defence lawyer Robertos Vrahimi said afterwards that he has been instructed by his client to appeal the decision and has 10 days to do so.
Mostafa is accused of using a fake suicide belt to seize the plane flying from Alexandria to Cairo and redirect it to the Mediterranean island.
The hijacking ended peacefully with his arrest and the release of the 55 passengers after a six-hour standoff.
Source: Agence France Presse
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