Netanyahu: Passenger Heroism Averted 9/11-Style Disaster on Flydubai Jet

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a CNN interview that the quick thinking of the flight crew and passengers prevented a "9/11-style disaster" during an attempted attack on a Flydubai plane en route to Israel. He specifically praised an Israeli passenger named Yaniv, who reportedly intervened when the co-pilot, identified as the attacker, was attempting to sabotage the aircraft's systems. According to Netanyahu, Yaniv entered the cockpit, pushed the attacker away from the controls, and regained control of the steering yoke.

Netanyahu further detailed that other Israeli passengers and crew members assisted in subduing the attacker. Reserve pilots on board entered the cockpit to stabilize the aircraft, which was in a freefall with its nose pointed down. Despite damage to the rudder and tail, they managed to regain control. The Prime Minister lauded the "incredible heroism" of the Indian pilot, the Israeli passenger, and the crew, emphasizing that their actions thwarted what appeared to be a planned catastrophe.

Regarding intelligence on the incident, Netanyahu mentioned that while Israel had general intelligence about Iranian-backed groups like Hezbollah and Hamas planning attacks against Israelis abroad, there was no specific warning about this particular attempted hijacking. The attacker is currently being investigated in Saudi Arabia and is expected to be transferred to the United Arab Emirates soon. Netanyahu confirmed he spoke with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, who agreed to Israeli cooperation in the investigation. "We will know very quickly if Iran was involved, but I cannot determine this before the investigation is concluded," Netanyahu said.