An EgyptAir Boeing 737

A man tried to use an in-flight knife to hijack EgyptAir flight 736 from Istanbul Turkey to Cairo. 30 minutes into the flight the man used his knife to threaten a flight attendant. The hijacker demanded the flight be diverted to Jerusalem. Luckily there were air marshals aboard who were able to detain the man. The 26-year-old said he wanted to “liberate” Jerusalem, a security official at Cairo airport told AFP.

The Boeing 737 landed on-time and all 87 passengers and 8 crew safely landed unharmed in Cairo.

Often, it has been joked about how airline security can be so tight, yet airlines provide knives on board. However, I doubt the people on the flight would have been in any real danger against a plastic knife.   However, this is a great reminder on how Air Marshals can come in very handy.

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