Be Informed: Tears for the victims of MS804: Dead pilots' fathers and fellow air crew gather to mourn the 66 killed in EgyptAir disaster – as search teams find severed arm, luggage and two-mile oil slick in the Med

.Hundreds of mourners gathered to offer prayers for victims of EgyptAir flight which crashed in the Mediterranean

.Father of the co-pilot was overwhelmed by messages of condolence as imam led emotional service for the missing

.Captain's father collapsed with grief at another vigil in his home city near Cairo where doomed jet was due to land

.Heartbreaking details beginning to emerge about passengers and crew whose lives were cut short on Airbus A320

.Horror for relatives as Egyptian army find body parts and wreckage in sea 180 miles north of the city of Alexandria

By NICK FAGGE IN CAIRO and SIMON TOMLINSON FOR BE INFORMED

PUBLISHED: 11:22 GMT, 20 May 2016 | UPDATED: 17:09 GMT, 20 May 2016

Hundreds of mourners have gathered to offer prayers for the 66 passengers and crew killed in the EgyptAir disaster.

Family, friends and colleagues held back tears as the Imam led prays for their salvation at the Al Sedeq mosque close to Cairo International Airport where the doom jet had been due to land.

The hour-long Friday prayers ended with pall bearers carrying a symbolic coffin for the missing bodies out of the sprawling complex.

Outside, family members told of their shock at the sudden disappearance of passenger jet, while colleagues praised the professionalism of the crew.

Ahmed Asem, the father of co-pilot Mohamed Mamdouh Ahmed Asem, was overwhelmed by messages of condolence.

Mohamed's cousin, Hizam Asem told MailOnline: 'Mohamed was a very, very good pilot. He was the best in his class. He was very skilful.

'Ever since he was a little boy he had wanted to fly a plane. And finally he was realising his dream. He was just a young man of 27 but he was living the life he had always wanted.'

Gripped by grief: EgyptAir stewardesses console each other outside the Al Sedeq mosque where hundreds of mourners gathered to offer prayers for the crew of missing EgyptAir flight MS804

Ahmed Asem (centre), the father of co-pilot Mohamed Mamdouh Ahmed Asem, was overwhelmed by messages of support as he visited the Al Sedeq mosque close to Cairo International Airport to pray for his son and the other 65 people on flight MS804

Ahmed Asem is consoled by members of the Al Sedeq mosque where they held the hour-long Friday prayers for the missing

Friends and relatives of the EgyptAir crew console each other outside Al Sedeq Mosque in Cairo

Devastated: A mourner wipes away a tear during Friday prayers for the passengers and crew killed in the EgyptAir disaster

Members of the Al Sedeq Mosque in Cairo pray for the crew members of the crashed EgyptAir plane as at emotional service near Cairo

Family, friends and colleagues held back tears as the Imam led prays for their salvation at the Al Sedeq mosque near Cairo Airport

Members of the Al Sedeq Mosque in Cairo console friends and relatives of the co-pilot of the EgyptAir plane which crashed yesterday

However the father was able to shake hands with people who offered him their condolences for the loss of his son.

'Bahgat Shoukair was distraught,' one onlookers told Egyptian internet news service Video 7.

'He could not stand up. He had to sit on a chair. He could only shake hands with people. After the prayer service his relatives carried him to his home.'

The captain's uncle, Shihab Shakir, told Youm7: 'The information we received is the same as what they said on TV. They remained tight lipped about what happened.

'If there was anything, he would have known because he's not an inexperienced pilot. He's very experienced and all his managers and bosses say that he is one of the best pilot's in Egypt.

'[The last time I spoke with him] he called and asked if I needed anything, if I wanted him to bring me anything when he comes back, but then he said his flight would be late.

'He was always inviting all his colleagues at the company and he would bring them together and take them for meals and fix their problems. He didn't have any problems with any one.'

The services were held has search crews revealed they had found a severed arm, luggage and a two-mile-long oil slick in the Mediterranean.

The news will deal a devastating blow to families who are holding out a glimmer of hope their loved ones may have survived the crash.

The Egyptian military discovered wreckage around 180 miles north of the coastal city of Alexandria and are now sweeping the area for the plane's black box recorders which could hold the key to the plane's mysterious disappearance.

Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos said a body part, two seats and suitcases were found in the search area, slightly to the south of where the aircraft had vanished from radar.

Greek journalist Liana Spyropoulou later said Mr Kammenos revealed the body part was an arm.

A two-mile oil slick has also been spotted 20 miles south-east of the plane's last location by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-1A radar satellite.

Egyptian President Adbel Fattah al-Sisi, meanwhile, offered condolences to families of those on board, amounting to Cairo's official confirmation of their deaths.

At another emotional service, Bahgat Shoukair, the father of Captain Mohamed Said Ali Ali Shoukair collapsed in grief for his missing son

Although fingers pointed towards Islamist militants who blew up another airliner over Egypt just seven months ago, no group had claimed responsibility more than 24 hours after the disappearance of flight MS804, an Airbus A320 that was flying from Paris to Cairo.

Three French investigators and a technical expert from Airbus arrived in Cairo early on Friday to help investigate the fate of the missing plane, airport sources said.

Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said yesterday that it was too early to rule out any explanation for the disaster, but the country's aviation minister said a terrorist attack was more likely than a technical failure.

Friday's announcement that debris had been found followed earlier confusion about whether wreckage had been located. Greek searchers found some material on Thursday, but the airline later said this was not from its plane.

While there was no official explanation of the cause of the crash, suspicion immediately fell on Islamist militants who have been fighting against Egypt's government since Sisi toppled an elected Islamist leader in 2013.

In October, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for blowing up a Russian jetliner that exploded after taking off from an Egyptian tourist resort. Russian investigators blamed a bomb smuggled on board.

Last year's crash already devastated Egypt's tourist industry, one of the main sources of foreign exchange for a country of 80 million people, and another similar attack would crush hopes of it recovering.

Clues: This image released by the European Space Agency from its Sentinel-1A satellite reportedly shows a two-mile-long oil slick (circled) in the Mediterranean Sea around 20 miles from the last-known location of the EgyptAir plane which vanished near Greece on Thursday

A video image released by the Egyptian Defense Ministry shows a ship during the search in the Mediterranean Sea for missing EgyptAir Flight MS804 plane which crashed after disappearing from the radar in the early hours of Thursday morning while carrying 66 people

An Egyptian plane and ship search the Mediterranean for missing EgyptAir flight 804 plane which crashed in mysterious circumstances

An Egyptian plane searches for debris and personal belongins from the missing EgyptAir plane which crashed in the Mediterranean Sea

An engineer stands in front of a C-130 HAUP of the Hellenic Air Force which took part and is on stand by in the search operation

While most governments were cautious about jumping to conclusions, U.S. Republican candidate for president Donald Trump tweeted swiftly after the plane's disappearance: 'Looks like yet another terrorist attack. Airplane departed from Paris. When will we get tough, smart and vigilant?'

Many hours later his likely Democratic rival Hillary Clinton also said it appeared to be an act of terrorism, although she said an investigation would have to determine the details.

Officials from a number of U.S. agencies told Reuters that a U.S. review of satellite imagery so far had not produced any signs of an explosion.

They said the United States had not ruled out any possible causes for the crash, including mechanical failure, terrorism or a deliberate act by the pilot or crew.

Amid uncertainty about what brought down the plane, Los Angeles International Airport became the first major U.S. air transportation hub to say it was stepping up security measures.

In Britain, a spokesman for the David Cameron said Whitehall officials from different departments will be working throughout the day and into the weekend on the disaster and will update secretaries of state and the Prime Minister on all developments.

However, the Government is refusing to discuss security procedures until the cause of the crash is known.

The military has sent a vessel to follow the flight path of the plane and is heading south west towards where wreckage has reportedly been found.

Hunt for clues: The Egyptian army today reported finding wreckage and personal belongings from the missing jet around 180 miles north of Alexandria. The discovery came a day after other debris found in another area near the African coast turned out not to come the plane

The RAF sent a C130 plane which completed a surveillance flight last night and a second flight is ongoing.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch has also offered its assistance to the investigation and is ready to offer support if required.

Meanwhile, heartbreaking details are beginning to emerge of the lives cut short on board the doomed flight.

Air hostess Samar Ezz Eldin, 27, had uploaded a prophetic image of a plane crashing into the sea on her Facebook page in September 2014 just four months after she started working at Egypt's national carrier.

It shows an air hostess dressed smartly in wet clothes pulling a carry-on suitcase out of the water as a passenger jet plunges into the sea behind her.

Other victims identified include the captain who celebrated a promotion just four days earlier, the co-pilot whose family sacrificed everything so he could learn to fly and a cabin manager who gave up a successful TV acting career to become an air hostess.

Captain Mohamed Said Ali Ali Shoukair, 37, from Giza, had invited his colleagues and former flying school classmates to a huge dinner to celebrate his promotion to the rank of senior pilot, MailOnline can reveal.

Ahmed Adly, of the Egyptian Pilots Association, told MailOnline: 'I can confirm that Mohamed Said Ali Ali Shoukair was the captain of the Egyptair MS804 that has been lost.'

Another friend Ahmed Mashaal said: 'God bless you Shoukair. I last saw him four days ago at a party.

'He invited his whole colleagues from EgyptAir and fellow students from the flying school to a huge dinner to celebrate his promotion four days ago [on Monday]. He was celebrating his promotion.'

Captain Shoukair was a very experienced pilot with 6275 flying hours, 2101 of those hours flying an Airbus 806. He was not married and did not have any children.

Captain Shoukair (right) with colleagues. Air traffic controllers said he was in 'a good mood and gave thanks in Greek' when he was in last contact around 25 minutes before the jet fell out of the sky in a suspected terror attack

His co-pilot Mohammad Mamdouh Assem had dreamed of flying planes since he was five years old and his mother had put all her savings into helping him achieved his lifelong goal.

According to friends, co-pilot Mohammad Mamdouh Assem's lifelong dream was to cruise the skies – with his mother spending all her savings on sending him to aviation school.

Childhood friend Omar Nasef told The Daily Beast: 'He wanted to be a pilot since he was five. He was an unbelievable person, social.'

His mother tragically died a few years ago from cancer and the family was still struggling to cope with her loss when news broke that he had perished on the doomed flight.

'His mom put all her savings towards his education,' Nasef said. 'The academy and all that, and it's very expensive in Egypt. That was a big sacrifice.'

'All that I know is that he loved flying. That was his dream job and that's it,' he said.

Cabin manager Mervat Zakaria was also revealed to be a former TV actress who had been promoted to her position just one month before the crash.

Ms Zakaria had joined the national airline carrier in 1986 after giving up a successful acting career.

She had starred as a troubled teenager, Hala Awad, who had lost her mother in the hit Egyptian drama Abu El Ela El-Bashery.

The show was named after the character of the widower who was bringing up his daughters on his own.

But Ms Zakaria, who is believed to be married with a daughter, quit before the second series to take up a career as an air hostess for EgyptAir.

Meanwhile, it emerged today that the wife of British passenger Richard Osman had warned him to be careful whenever he travelled abroad on his work, but he laughed off her fears, telling her: 'It is never going to happen to me.'

The geologist had celebrated becoming a father for the second time with wife Aureilie, 36, just three weeks before the crash.

He had been flying regularly to Egypt with his job with Australian gold mining firm Centamin Ltd- often taking the plane from Paris to Cairo.

His brother Alastair said: 'Aureilie had warned him to be careful but he took the view that it's never going to happen to you. He just laughed it off.

'We kept in touch regularly and I would speak to him a couple times a month but he never mentioned the possible threat of terrorism on his flights across the Mediterranean to me.

'But the family was worried because ISIS and groups like them don't think that any of their victims have family members or a past or a history of hopes

EGYPTAIR FLIGHT HAD THREE AIR MARSHALLS ON BOARD PLANE

EgyptAir Flight MS804 had three air marshals on board when it crashed in the Mediterranean on Thursday, authorities have said.

France's transport chief Alain Vidalies told NBC News that the high number of security officers onboard was 'the usual practice'.

Analysts say the higher number of air marshals onboard could be explained by a recent boost in security following a number of terrorist attacks involving passenger planes.

Three air marshals also makes it less likely that the crash was called by a hijacker, as a terrorist would have to overpower not only the armed air marshals but also plane staff and passengers.

Another argument against this is that no one managed to send a mayday, which suggests a hijacker would have had to break into the cockpit extremely quickly – or had inside help

Mervat Zakaria starred as a troubled teenager, Hala Awad, who had lost her mother in the hit Egyptian drama Abu El Ela El-Bashery

Mr Osman had celebrated the birth of his second daughter Olympe just three weeks ago and was travelling to Egypt for work.

Speaking yesterday, Alistair said: 'I still can't take it in I got a call from our sister first thing this morning and I'm still in shock.

'Richard was so happy at the birth of his second daughter, and yet weeks later he is no longer with us - it's an absolute tragedy.'

Mr Osman was also father to a 14-month-old girl called Victios.

His two daughters are being looked after by Aureilie in Paris, where the couple have a home.

Alastair, 36, a biochemistry student at Swansea University, said: 'Of all the family I would've thought Richard would have been the last to go.'

'He was incredibly fit and a workaholic and since leaving university he has never stopped.

'He was really happy about having the baby and was looking forward to enjoying a lovely family life with his two girls.'

He is believed to be a dual citizen of Australia, following a statement issued by the Australian government saying that one of those presumed dead is a UK-Australia dual national.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop declined to give additional details, including details on the passenger's identity.

Relatives of passengers on board the EgyptAir flight cry at Cairo Airport as they try to receive information on their loved ones

Meanwhile, EgyptAir has retracted its earlier statement that wreckage of the plane had been found off the Greek island of Karpathos.

Egyptian officials are now taking a more cautious line, similar to that of Greek authorities, and are saying they 'stand corrected' and it 'is not our aircraft'.

The head of the Greek air safety authority earlier insisted that wreckage found in the Mediterranean close to where the jet is thought to have crashed 'does not come from a plane'.

'Up to now the analysis of the debris indicates that it does not come from a plane, my Egyptian counterpart also confirmed to me that it was not yet proven that the debris came from the EgyptAir flight when we were last in contact around 1745 GMT,' said Athanasios Binis.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has ordered the civil aviation ministry, the army's search and rescue centre, the navy, and the air force to take all necessary measures to locate debris from the EgyptAir plane.

They will join French, Greek and U.S. forces in the search.

In a statement issued by his office, Sisi also ordered an investigative committee formed by the civil aviation ministry to immediately start investigating the causes of the plane's disappearance.

Photographs emerged earlier of what was claimed to be debris from the plane as search vessels reported seeing plastic objects including lifejackets and seats floating in the sea around 230 miles south of the Greek islands of Crete and Karpathos.

The images of the debris were posted on Facebook by Tarek Wahba, who is understood to be the captain of Egyptian container vessel, Maersk Ahram.

He wrote: 'Been finding life jackets and debris including chair to the plane.'

The ship was among a number of vessels sent to the area to help with the search.

A Greek frigate also reported spotting two large plastic objects floating in the sea 230 miles south of the island of Crete.

They appeared to be pieces of plastic in white and red and were spotted close to an area where an emergency transponder signal had been emitted.

Greek military officials say a Greek C-130 military transport plane is still participating in the search for debris from the EgyptAir jet, but a frigate initially sent to the area has been recalled.

The same officials say all potential debris located so far in the sea has been spotted by Egyptian aircraft.

If confirmed to be a terror attack, the disaster would deal another hammer blow to Egypt's crippled tourism industry just months after a Russian Metrojet plane was brought down in the Sinai peninsula by a bomb planted at Sharm el-Sheikh airport.

The 56 passengers on board included one Briton, 30 Egyptians, 15 French, one Belgian, one Iraqi, one Kuwaiti, one Saudi Arabian, one Chadian, one Portuguese, one Algerian and at least one Canadian. There were 10 crew members including three security guards.

A Canadian woman among the passengers has also been named as Marwa Hamdy. The nation's Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion issued a statement claiming two Canadians were on board the flight.

Ms Dion said: 'Based on the information currently available, Global Affairs Canada confirms that two Canadian citizens are among the passengers on this flight.'

The airline has said that Ms Hamdy was the sole Canadian on the flight.

U.S. government officials were working on an initial theory the jet was downed by a bomb, two U.S. officials told CNN, although they cautioned that hypothesis could change.

The U.S. State Department has not yet issued a travel warning to Egypt, according to spokesman John Kirby in Washington.

He told reporters that it is too early to make any definite decisions and that he is 'not aware that we recorded, saw, photographed or have possession of any electronic indications about what happened'.

The head of Russia's top domestic security agency, Alexander Bortnikov, also claimed it was 'in all likelihood it was a terror attack'.

Meanwhile, Jean-Paul Troadec, the former chief of the BEA national investigation unit, said the lack of a live emergency alert meant it was almost certainly destroyed in a terror attack.

He told Europe 1 radio station in Paris: 'A technical problem, a fire or a failed motor do not cause an instant accident and the team has time to react.

'The team said nothing, they did not react, so it was very probably a brutal event and we can certainly think about an attack.'

Their comments came after a merchant ship captain reported seeing a 'flame in the sky' over the Mediterranean.

ISIS has been waging a deadly insurgency against Egyptian security forces and last October claimed the bombing of a Russian airliner flying home holidaymakers from the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh which killed all 224 people on board.

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