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Ongoing Story· Day 32

Dramatic Footage Shows Hostage Rescue on Dubai Flight

3 developments

MaarivSecurity

Pilots Who Thwarted Flydubai Attack Revealed

Translated & summarized from Maariv by baba

CenterCharged tone

Hebrew · 1 newsroom

Foreign media have identified two pilots who saved 182 people on a Flydubai flight from a terror attack on September 30. Pilot Toth and reserve pilot Hanson Stephen reportedly took control of the plane after co-pilot Maam Al-Hamami attacked the captain with an axe. The pilots successfully landed the aircraft, and all passengers and crew were saved.

The story in 4 lines · by baba

  • Two pilots, Toth and Hanson Stephen, reportedly foiled a terror attack on a Flydubai flight.
  • The co-pilot, Maam Al-Hamami, allegedly attacked the captain with an axe in the cockpit.
  • All 182 people on board the flight were saved due to the pilots' actions.
  • The incident occurred on September 30, with identities revealed a month later.
Pilots Who Thwarted Flydubai Attack Revealed
Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

A month after an attempted terror attack on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, foreign media outlets have reportedly identified the two pilots who saved 182 people. The pilots have been lauded for their bravery, though their identities have not been officially confirmed.

South African news site Cape Town Etc reported on Friday that a pilot named Toth, originally from Kimberley, was one of the two who took control of the aircraft. This report was partly based on a TikTok video that allegedly identified the pilot. The South African news outlet also confirmed his name, stating he served as a relief pilot on the flight.

Concurrently, Fijian news site FijiVillage reported on Wednesday that the second pilot was Hanson Stephen, a former pilot for Fiji Airways. According to the report, Stephen was on the flight as a reserve pilot and assisted in landing the plane after passengers and crew members neutralized the attacker.

The incident occurred on September 30, when Omani co-pilot Maam Al-Hamami attacked the captain with an axe in the cockpit and attempted to crash the plane. He had been developing this plan since 2017 and used previous flights to Israel to gather information. Despite being severely injured, the captain managed to allow passengers and crew into the cockpit to subdue the attacker. The two pilots on board subsequently took control of the aircraft and landed it safely, saving all 182 people on board.

MaarivCentre · Jerusalem

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