Passengers Recount Terrifying Dubai Flight Hijacking Attempt

174 passengers who survived an attempted hijacking on a Flydubai flight landed safely in Israel on Wednesday evening, recounting hours of terror in the skies over the Middle East. Upon landing at Ben Gurion Airport, passengers erupted in song and tears of joy, describing the moments the plane plunged rapidly and the bravery of Israelis who subdued the attacker and saved the flight from disaster.

The incident began when the co-pilot, a 39-year-old Omani national, allegedly attacked and severely wounded the Indian captain, Smith Macher, with what is suspected to be the emergency axe from the cockpit. The struggle and the captain's injuries caused the aircraft to lose altitude rapidly, entering severe turbulence and tilting at extreme angles.

Passenger Daniel Elmaliach described the terrifying experience, telling Ynet, "We felt the plane falling at maximum speed and heard everyone's screams of terror. We didn't have time to think, talk, or breathe. It was seconds." She added, "We were sure we were all going to die. I sent farewell messages to our parents. It was incredibly stressful."

Amidst the panic, several Israeli passengers' quick thinking averted a major catastrophe. Elad, who was on the flight with his family, recounted how a woman near the cockpit heard screams and alerted her husband, Yaniv, who is credited with subduing the attacker. "It was a miracle. Yaniv is the hero of the flight who took control of the attacker," he was quoted as saying.

Among the heroes in the cockpit was dentist Musayev Shota, who rushed to help. "We tied up the attacker, we secured him, both legs and hands. He was thrashing, so we tied him more, and then he calmed down and understood he was in our hands," Shota said. He then provided urgent medical attention to the bleeding captain, whose head and hands were severely injured. "The pilot was very badly injured with heavy bleeding in his head and hands. I was the only doctor on the plane. I managed to stop the bleeding completely."

The Indian captain, with 15 years of experience, managed to open the cockpit door despite his injuries, allowing passengers and crew to enter and overpower the co-pilot. Another pilot from Fiji also entered the cockpit and gained control of the aircraft during its rapid descent. Shota concluded, "We thought we were going to die 100%. The Israelis managed the flight perfectly."

Upon arrival in Israel, paramedics treated one passenger for minor injuries. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met some of the returning passengers, telling Yaniv, "You don't need to apologize, you are the hero. We are a nation of lions, with the strength of a lion. I look at you and I see a lion, and I see a great hero. It's simply unbelievable what you did." Videos circulating online showed Israelis singing Rabbi Nachman's saying, "The whole world is a very narrow bridge, and the main thing is not to fear at all."

The Foreign Ministry briefed Israeli ambassadors worldwide, emphasizing the incident as a terror attempt against Israelis, the UAE, and the Abraham Accords, stating that terror will not harm the strong relations between Israel and the UAE or regional developments.