Hero Passenger Recounts Terror on Dubai Flight to Israel

Tali Berkman Mans, a passenger on Flydubai Flight 1073 en route to Tel Aviv, recounted the harrowing moments of an attempted terror attack during which the co-pilot attempted to murder the captain and crash the plane. Berkman Mans heard unusual banging from near the cockpit and alerted another pilot. She then witnessed the co-pilot, identified as Omani national Al Ma'ami, stabbing the captain, Smit Matzhar. "I see the pilot stabbing the other pilot, I see the plane without a pilot and screams that I understand we are about to die," she said, adding, "I started screaming 'He's stabbing the pilot, help'."

As the plane suddenly plunged, causing panic and throwing Berkman Mans to the floor, her husband Yaniv and other Israeli passengers rushed to the cockpit. They, along with the pilot who was outside the cockpit, stormed the cabin to neutralize the attacker. Berkman Mans described the critical seconds as feeling like an eternity, ultimately leading to the attacker's incapacitation and the regaining of control of the aircraft.

Investigation findings revealed that Al Ma'ami, who had previously been suspended from an Omani airline for extremist Islamist views, confessed to planning to crash the plane into Israel. Berkman Mans described the survival of the passengers as a "series of miracles" and a testament to mutual aid, stating, "This is truly an example and a model of mutual responsibility and how this nation acts so well in moments of crisis and leads to good results." She urged for this spirit of mutual responsibility to be applied to daily life in Israel.