Passengers Recount Harrowing Hijacking Attempt on Dubai Flight to Israel
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Passengers subdued an attacker in the cockpit of a Flydubai flight after he stabbed the pilot.
- The plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia before returning to Israel.
- One passenger described pulling on the controls to stabilize the aircraft.
- The injured pilot received medical treatment and lost a significant amount of blood.
- Flydubai flights will be suspended, replaced by Israeli airline rescue flights.
Passengers aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073, including 166 Israelis, returned to Israel on Wednesday after a harrowing emergency landing in Saudi Arabia due to a hijacking attempt. Upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, survivors recounted the terrifying moments when they realized their lives were in danger.
One passenger, Yaniv Ohayon, described how he and others stormed the cockpit after the pilot was stabbed. "I choked the attacker and pulled him out first," Ohayon told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met with the passengers. Ohayon explained that the attacker was attempting to disable the aircraft's instruments. After subduing the attacker, Ohayon re-entered the cockpit and attempted to stabilize the plane, which was in a nosedive, by pulling on the controls, an action he attributed to watching aviation investigation shows.
Dr. Shota Musaev, who treated the injured pilot, confirmed the pilot had sustained head and hand wounds and lost a significant amount of blood. Musaev stated that the pilot remained conscious throughout the ordeal and that the co-pilot managed to regain control of the aircraft after the cockpit door, which had been difficult to open due to the pilot's proximity, was secured from the inside by Ohayon. Musaev emphasized that the passengers initially mistook the plane's violent movements for turbulence before realizing it was an attack.
Other passengers described the terrifying experience, with one noting, "The plane flipped over on us." Upon landing in Saudi Arabia, passengers recited the "Gomel" blessing, expressing gratitude for their survival. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs characterized the incident as a "terrorist attack attempt against Israelis, the United Arab Emirates, and the Abraham Accords."
In response to the incident, Flydubai flights will be suspended for six days starting Thursday morning, with Israeli airlines operating rescue flights under heightened security. This decision was approved by Prime Minister Netanyahu in consultation with the ruler of the UAE, who agreed to allocate landing slots for Israeli carriers.
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