Ben Innes said he also wanted to check out the device around the suspect's waist.
The British man who posed for a photo with a suspected plane hijacker is defending his actions.
Ben Innes, who grinned alongside alleged hijacker Seif Eddin Mustafa on the EgyptAir flight on Tuesday, told Good Morning America on Friday he has "no regrets whatsoever."
Watch: Video Shows How Flight Attendant Offered to Take Passenger's Photo With Hijacker
“I wanted to interact with the hijacker,” he explained. “I wanted him to understand that I was a human, that I wasn't just a nameless, faceless victim. I also wanted to get a better look at the device.”
The suicide vest turned out to be fake.
EgyptAir flight 181 was traveling from Alexandria to Cairo on Tuesday when Mustafa diverted the plane to the island nation of Cyprus.
Another image has also emeged, this one showing a flight attendant posing with Mustafa.
Read: 'Awful' Woman Puts Her Very Long Ponytail Over Seat, Blocks Plane Passenger's TV
Innes' mother was mortified when she met him at an airport in Britain, telling him the photo was "stupid."
A court in Cyprus ordered Mustafa detained for eight days. He faces charges including hijacking, illegal possession of explosives and kidnapping.
Watch: From a Hostage Crisis to Burning Buildings, The Most Inappropriate Selfies
