During a press conference about the EgyptAir plane that was hijacked in Cyprus on Tuesday, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades was asked to confirm if the incident was about a woman and he said, “Always there is a woman involved.”
As reported by the BBC, prior to the eventual arrest of the hijacker Anastasiades said, “We are doing our utmost for everyone to be released and safe. And to [bring] and end to this unprecedented — in any case, it’s not something which has to do with terrorism.”
After a pause and some laughter, Anastasiades said, “You know what I mean.”
A reporter then asked the president to confirm that the hijacking was about a woman and Anastasiades said, “Always there is a woman involved.”
According to Cypriot officials, the plane’s hijacker was Seif Eldin Mustafa. Some reports indicated Mustafa wanted to talk to his estranged wife who lives in Cyprus, while other reports claim he hijacked the plane in order to pressure the Egyptian government to release some female prisoners. At time of publication, Mustafa’s actual motives remain unknown.
The EgyptAir Flight MS181 landed at Larnaca airport after a standoff, the hijacker surrendered and was arrested.