LARNACA — The man accused of hijacking an EgyptAir aircraft and forcing it to land in Cyprus appeared in court on Wednesday where police asked that he be remanded in custody for eight days.Seif al-Din Mohamed Mostafa, an Egyptian who has a Cypriot former wife, was not asked to address the court.He will not face any formal charges until a later hearing and only at that point will he be expected to enter a plea.The judge said he would rule on the remand request later in the day.Cyprus authorities have described Mr Mostafa as "psychologically unstable" and have said the case was not "terrorism-related".He is accused of forcing the aircraft to divert to Larnaca airport on the island’s south coast on Tuesday by threatening to detonate an explosives belt that turned out to be fake.Authorities allege that his motives were personal and related to his Cypriot former wife, with whom he is reported to have had children.The hijacking triggered a six-hour standoff at the airport and the closure ...
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