EgyptAir hijacking brings country's airport security back into focus

The hijacking of an EgyptAir plane forced to land in Cyrus while flying from the Egyptian Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria to the capital, Cairo, has put the spotlight back on Egypt's airport security. The incident comes five months after a bomb brought down a Russian airliner after it left Sharm el-Sheikh, killing 224 people on board. 

Russia later said an explosive device brought down the plane and the extremist Islamic State (ISIS) group claimed responsibility.

While Tuesday's hijacking was not an act of terrorism -- Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said the hijacker wanted to see his ex-wife, and his vest reportedly contained no explosives -- the incident underscores Egypt's recent security failings.

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U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program Tuesday, said that a "very good question" is whether the man who hijacked the plane Tuesday was able to pass through airport security with a bomb-laden belt, the Associated Press reported.

Later it came out the the bomb was a fake. Still, Zack Gold, a non-resident fellow with the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, told Mashable it worrisome that he was allowed to board the plane while wearing a belt laden suspiciously with phones and wires sticking out of it.

"That's something that should have raised concerns," he said.

Footage later published online shows the hijacker passing through security unhindered.

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Gold cautioned, however, there are still too many questions to fault airport security, which Egypt has addressed in recent months.

Since the MetroJet downing, he noted, Egyptian authorities have contracted the British security firm Control Risks to make safety recommendations. They have also worked with Russian aviation officials and U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials while installing more security cameras and hiring new security guards.

"[The Egyptians] are taking aviation security very seriously," Gold said. "They recognize there was a screw up last year and recognize what it takes to build back up international credibility."

Passengers on the hijacked EgyptAir Airbus A-320, which was diverted to Cyprus, run on the tarmac after leaving the plane as the hijacker surrendered to security forces after a six-hour standoff at Larnaca airport's largely disused old terminal on March 29, 2016. Credit: GEORGE MICHAEL/AFP/Getty Images

Still, after all that, "what it comes down to is: does the international community trust Egyptian airports and airport security?" Gold said.

"The response I've seen is no, it does not," he added.

That bodes badly for Egypt's already struggling economy, and its tourism industry in particular.

British tourists who were stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh after a Russian passenger plane was downed ask about flights home at the international airport in Sharm el-Sheikh, Sinai, Egypt on Nov. 6, 2015. Credit: Stringer/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

But Gold said he hopes the story that comes out of this is that EgyptAir, which has recently become known for its lax security measures and "is always the butt of jokes online about its customer service," showed that its crew and pilots "acted appropriately."

"And this hijacking ended in the best way possible, with everyone walking away safely," he added.

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