Tzvi Menas and Eyal Shlichter, two Israeli passengers who helped subdue the Omani co-pilot on the Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, told the New York Post that cabin crew asked them to release the attacker during the incident. They refused, the passengers said. The co-pilot had stabbed the captain and attempted to crash the aircraft before passengers intervened.
In a new interview with the New York Post, two Israeli passengers who helped neutralize the Omani co-pilot during the attempted hijacking of Flydubai flight FZ 1073 provided a first-hand account of a request by cabin crew to release the attacker. Tzvi Menas and Eyal Shlichter said that during the struggle, crew members directed them to let the co-pilot go, but they refused. The passengers described the moments of chaos after the co-pilot stabbed the captain and attempted to crash the aircraft. The Zioneer reported earlier on Saturday that passengers had made similar claims, but this interview offers the first on-record attribution with named individuals. The co-pilot remains in Saudi custody. The incident, which occurred Wednesday, saw the aircraft make an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Israeli officials have described the event as a terrorist attack. The New York Post interview adds detail about the behavior of some crew members during the crisis, though the crew's actions remain unverified by other sources.
3 developments
- DevelopingBen-Gvir: Israel Should Seek Extradition of Flydubai Co-Pilot
- StrongFlydubai, UAE authorities confirm co-pilot attacked captain with crash axe
- ConfirmedFlydubai co-pilot reportedly targeted Tel Aviv-bound flights months before attack, sought airlines flying to Israel
- StrongDoctor who saved stabbed Flydubai captain recounts cockpit struggle
Source and signal
- Open-source intake