Trump Praises Israeli Plumber Who Helped Avert Plane Disaster

U.S. President Donald Trump released a video praising Yiniv Hiyun, an Israeli plumber who was among the passengers that helped subdue the co-pilot on a Flydubai flight that was en route to Israel. The co-pilot had attempted to crash the plane.

"I just want to thank and congratulate Yiniv Hiyun, who is an Israeli plumber, and he is a fan of Trump. I am a fan of his, a big fan. He saved the flight yesterday," Trump said in the video posted on his official TikTok account. Trump also commented on the moment Hiyun entered the cockpit and helped stabilize the aircraft after it began to dive. "He did an amazing job. He got in there and learned how to fly by watching 'Air Crash Investigation' on TV, and he's a guy after my own heart. He can be my plumber. He can be anything he wants to be. What a job he did. He's a hero," Trump added.

Hiyun, 38, from Nes Ziona, was among the Israelis who entered the cockpit after the co-pilot attacked the captain. Upon his return to Israel, Hiyun recounted how he pulled out the Omani pilot and grabbed the controls after the plane began to lose altitude. This is not the first time Trump has referred to Hiyun. On Thursday, the president already spoke of an "Israeli plumber" who helped save the plane, after discussing the incident with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Hiyun responded with a smile to Trump's remarks at the time, saying, "I am an upgraded plumber. He wasn't wrong, I don't work at NASA or deal with space. I deal with smelly pipes and he was right." He added, "In my dreams, I never thought Trump would talk about me and refer to what I did, and I actually like his humor."

Hiyun further explained that he managed to subdue the co-pilot along with other Israelis. "I'm not exactly Bruce Lee. I did manage to subdue the terrorist with a few other Israelis and managed to get him out in a chokehold backward, and that's the most important thing." President of Israel Isaac Herzog later announced that he would recommend awarding the Civil Heroism Medal to the four Israelis involved. Hiyun was one of the four Israelis who acted during the incident, alongside Zvika Mans, Assaf Rejwan, and Dr. Shota Museiv. Museiv, a dentist by profession, recounted after the incident that he entered the cockpit to fight the attacker, and after he was neutralized, he went to treat the injured captain.

The incident is being investigated as an attempted terror attack after the co-pilot tried to take control of the plane during the flight from Dubai to Israel. Passengers and crew members managed to neutralize him, and the plane eventually landed safely in Saudi Arabia.