Israeli Passengers Recount Flydubai Hijacking Drama, Suspicions of Crew

Three Israeli passengers who subdued a co-pilot after he attacked the captain with an axe on a Flydubai flight have spoken about the harrowing experience in an interview with the New York Post. The incident, which occurred on a Wednesday flight, saw the plane plummet 17,000 feet as a struggle ensued in the cockpit. The Israeli passengers recounted that after they managed to restrain and bind the attacker, Hammam Al-Hamami, the flight crew demanded they release him. "They asked us to untie the terrorist, and then we started to suspect them," said Zvika Mans, a senior executive in the banking sector who was involved in subduing the co-pilot. Mans, along with Yeniv Hayon, a plumber, and Assaf Radwan, rushed to confront Al-Hamami after the pilot, Captain Smith Machacher, was severely injured but managed to open the cockpit door. Hayon, using techniques learned from a TV show, was able to stabilize the aircraft during its steep dive. Daniel Schlichter, a real estate agent, described how some crew members insisted on the attacker's release, stating, "You are not God, you are not going to kill him." This prompted the Israelis to take control of the cockpit area, ordering the flight attendants to move to the rear of the plane, fearing some crew members might be complicit. "Our policy now is that we are in charge and you will do what we say," Mans told the crew. He added, "We didn't know what to think. We suspected every flight attendant."

Mans described the violent struggle in the cockpit during the 17,000-foot dive as "the longest minute of my life," recalling the fear for his daughters and the chaotic fight involving punches and kicks. He noted that they were not trained fighters but ordinary people trying to save their families.