In a statement Wednesday, Barak Batsh — whose exact role in the incident is not specified — said the takeover of the Flydubai flight by passengers was nothing short of a miracle and praised their bravery for preventing a catastrophic crash, according to The Zioneer.
In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, Barak Batsh — whose precise role in the incident has not been disclosed — described the takeover of the Flydubai flight FZ1073 as nothing short of a miracle, praising the passengers who subdued the pilot and prevented a catastrophic crash. The remarks come as the latest development in a rapidly unfolding event that has drawn official attention and a formal designation.
Earlier today at 16:39 Jerusalem, Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that the incident was a jihadist terror attempt thwarted by Israeli passengers who broke into the cockpit and subdued the assailant, and noted that the passengers were expected to depart for Israel imminently. That assessment followed the first detailed account of the event, published at 17:15 Jerusalem by The Zioneer based on an interview with an Israeli passenger via Amit Segal (N12), who recounted how he and other passengers forced their way into the cockpit after the pilot attacked the co-pilot, restrained him with headphones, and secured control of the aircraft, prompting an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The source chain evolved from a single media report to an official on-record declaration by the Defense Minister.
As The Zioneer reported, the passenger's account described a swift, decisive intervention by Israeli civilians aboard the flight, which had departed Dubai. Defense Minister Katz's subsequent characterization framed the event as a jihadist terror attempt.
It remains unclear what capacity Barak Batsh speaks from or how he is connected to the event; his statement has not been corroborated by official sources, and no additional details about his background have been released.
4 developments
- Strong8-year-old on Flydubai flight says she thought plane would crash during rapid descent
- StrongWizz Air passenger asks to deplane over Shabbat concerns; airline cites security check delay
- DevelopingFemale soldier trapped in bus trunk recounts horror: 'I screamed but no one heard'
- DevelopingSpecial-needs girl denied boarding at Ben Gurion Airport after passing all security checks
Source and signal
- Open-source intake