Seif Eldin Mustafa, the man who allegedly hijacked EgyptAir Flight 181 with a fake belt of explosives and forced it to land in Cyprus so he could deliver a letter to his ex-wife, did not accomplish what he set out to do.
But his romantic efforts did make him into an excellent meme.
It’s fairly unlikely that the Cypriot authorities who arrested Mustafa after a seven-hour standoff (with no injuries or casualties) were willing to pass along his mail. Which left the Internet to imagine what it said.
Roses are red
— Maz Bonafide (@MazBONAFIDE) March 29, 2016
Violets are blue
I hijacked this plane
To visit my boo#EgyptAir #EgyptAirHijack
#EgyptAir #Cipro #EgyptAirHijack pic.twitter.com/VzY38VONlg
— eddie.murchy (@a_mazed7) March 29, 2016
Other husbands, meanwhile, were annoyed at how high he’d set the bar.
Thanks guy. Really looking forward to weeks of "thanks for taking out the garbage, its not a plane, but ok." #EgyptAirHijack
— Justin Guarini (@JustinGuarini) March 29, 2016
We wondered how to stop hijackings like this in the future.
The only thing that can stop a straight guy in a bad marriage is a gay guy in a good marriage. @NRA #EgyptAirHijack
— As seen on joshcrowley.bsky.social (@jdcrowley) March 29, 2016
And we imagined—using an instantly iconic photo of Mustafa and a smiling hostage with nerves of steel (Ben Innes, of Aberdeen, Scotland)—what could drive us to similar extremes.
https://twitter.com/craig_monaghan/status/714855381336506368
This could be us but you won't hijack a plane for me #EgyptAirHijack pic.twitter.com/QVlXqwk3IG
— rubbishsteve (@rubbishsteve) March 29, 2016
https://twitter.com/TrailerJamTweet/status/714804814400589825
But darling, I'd catch a grenade for you… 😱😍😍😍😍😍😍😱 #EgyptAirHijack pic.twitter.com/8onpnmZXom
— Poppy Mathobela (@PopMathobela) March 29, 2016
hijack a plane for me so I know it's real #EgyptAir
— alex (Taylors Version) (@macncheeseplzzz) March 29, 2016
Egypt can be proud that it's the primary source of viral memes today. #EgyptAirHijack pic.twitter.com/QrejWT141b
— Dalia Ezzat (@DaliaEzzat_) March 29, 2016
https://twitter.com/OhKevinMichaels/status/714862423010906112
As well as some alternative wooing strategies.
The best way to go if you are planning to propose her.#EgyptAirHijack #LoveIsInTheAir pic.twitter.com/6w8wRszuXb
— प्रतीक™ (@BeingPrateek1) March 29, 2016
And, of course, the painful outcomes.
*Hijacks a plane to talk to the girl*
— Prasad (@prasad_salvi) March 29, 2016
Girl: I've a boyfriend #EgyptAir #EgyptAirHijack
https://twitter.com/Saariina_/status/714858935447109632
In the end, perhaps the hijacker flew a little too close to the sun. But don’t we all do crazy things when we’re in love?
Egypt foreign ministry spokesman: “He’s not a terrorist, he’s an idiot. Terrorists are crazy but they aren’t stupid. This guy is"
— Mohamed Yehia (@yeh1a) March 29, 2016
Photo via ERIC SALARD/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)