There was no bigger story to discuss on social media this week than the hijacking of the EgyptAir plane by a man whose apparent intention was to see his estranged wife in Cyprus.
The Twitter community fervently discussed the Mother of the Nation Festival that opened on the Abu Dhabi Corniche on March 24. The fire in an Ajman apartment block was also a hot topic, with many noting that there were no casualties and the blaze was contained quickly.
The hijack
Initial reports about the EgyptAir plane hijacking raised a lot of anxiety, but to everyone’s satisfaction the incident ended relatively peacefully when the plane’s crew and passengers left the aircraft in Cyprus’s Larnaca airport and authorities took the hijacker, Seif Eldin Mostafa, into custody. Mr Mostafa reportedly said he hijacked the plane and forced it to land in Cyprus in an effort to see his former wife.
Some tweets were interesting. For example, @banatzayed tweeted about one of the passengers of the plane saying that “it was a wonderful experience”, while @ims43 shared a snapshot of a passenger showing him grinning as he stood next to the hijacker. The picture has gone viral on social media.
@Eve_Beauregard pointed out that the photo must have been taken by a third person, despite being described by many as a “selfie”.
A tweet by @excogitare shared an Egyptian official’s reaction to the event: “He’s not a terrorist, he’s an idiot. Terrorists are crazy but they aren’t stupid. This guy is.”
@yvonnert made a sarcastic remark saying: “Darling, you hijacked a plane for me? That’s so adorable.”
@Sarahwhammoud, who thought it was a comment against women, immediately shot back: “Next time someone tries to tell you that women are too emotional, remind them that a man tried to hijack a plane to get his ex back.”
@Ola_Olajide suggested that the hijacking was a unique act, literally suggesting that love is in the air.
@NidalM wrote: “To be honest, all ex-husbands should condemn the EgyptAir incident and should openly apologise on behalf of their community.”
Ajman fire
A large fire engulfed a residential tower near the Ajman Corniche on Monday night. Ajman residents praised the way the fire was contained before it could cause any causalities.
Soon after the news broke, the Twitter community came forward with offers of help.
@theregos wrote: “Folks can we come together and help out the victims? People who need help and places to stay.”
@asadghafoorPTI underlined the commitment of the firemen who stayed all night at the scene trying to contain the fire.
@ShahidKPak praised the professionalism of civil defence personnel, while @selmohassan shared a video that he shot from his balcony.
The festival
As The National has noted, behind every great man there is a great woman. In the case of the late founding father of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed, there were two great women: his mother, Sheikha Salama Bint Butti, and his wife, Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak. Abu Dhabi residents have been honouring Sheikha Fatima by attending a festival on the Corniche that ends tomorrow.
@HYPEmonstar, @QFYvonne and Ahmed @el_Loco0 tweeted about how much they enjoyed their time at the event, while @FairmontBAB explained what the festival was all about: “The Mother of the Nation Festival celebrates and honours the inspirational values of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak.”
@ShortListAUH was attracted by the “pool of light” at the festival, while @stevetrashrocks tweeted a photo of himself.
skhamis@thenational.ae
On Twitter: @SarahKhamisUAE