JEDDAH: A Saudi national who was on the EgyptAir flight that was hijacked to the Larnaca airport in Cyprus on Tuesday has shared his experiences inside the aircraft with the local media.

The self-confessed hijacker, 59-year-old Seif Eddin Mustafa of Egypt, is in custody in Cyprus.

Ahmad Salih, a marine officer at Saudi Aramco, said he was on seat No. 38 while Mustafa was seated behind him on seat No. 39. Fifteen minutes after the flight took off, the hijacker stood up and moved to the cockpit and then there was confusion among the crew members.

The crew began collecting the passports of the passengers without offering any reasons.

Salih said a crew member admitted that there was a serious problem only when he refused to hand over his passport.

The plane later began to change its course and speed and, accordingly, crew members began telling passengers, in hushed tones, about the threat posed by Mustafa.

The hijacker then went to the tail section of the plane and disappeared behind curtains.

Authorities in Cyprus say Mustafa has admitted to hijacking the domestic EgyptAir flight and diverting it to Cyprus by threatening to blow it up with a fake explosives belt.

Egyptian General Prosecutor Nabil Sadek’s office said he has asked Cyprus to “take necessary measures to extradite Mustafa in order to start an investigation,” according to a statement.

Police prosecutor Andreas Lambrianou earlier said Mustafa faces charges, including hijacking, illegal possession of explosives, kidnapping and threats to commit violence.

Tuesday’s dramatic hijacking ended peacefully when police arrested the suspect after all 72 passengers and crew aboard the Airbus A320 plane were released.

An Italian passenger on the hijacked EgyptAir flight had three words for the experience: “Fear, fear, fear.”

Andrea Banchetti spoke to Italian state radio and still appeared shaken when interviewed by Italian state TV.