Updated

The lawyer for an Egyptian man who admitted to hijacking an EgyptAir passenger jet and diverting it to Cyprus in March says his client had been tortured on many occasions while in the custody of Egyptian authorities over three decades.

Robertos Brahimis repeated Thursday that Seif Eddin Mustafa, 59, fears he won't get a fair trial could be tortured or even killed because of his political beliefs if a Cypriot court approves an Egyptian his extradition.

Police investigator Vakis Prodromou said Egyptian authorities have given assurances Mustafa won't face the death penalty and will receive a fair trial.

Prodromou said Mustafa wrote in a six-page statement he gave authorities during the March 29 hijacking that he opposes the current Egyptian government and that citizens are "arrested and imprisoned unfairly."