Two Israeli passengers who helped subdue the Omani co-pilot during last week's attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv told the New York Post that cabin crew directed them to release the assailant during the struggle. Tzvi Manes and Eyal Shlichter said they refused, according to a report by N12. The co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and attempted to crash the plane before passengers intervened.
Two Israeli passengers who helped subdue the Omani co-pilot during last week's attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv told the New York Post that cabin crew directed them to release the assailant as they were restraining him. The passengers, Tzvi Manes and Eyal Shlichter, said they refused — a decision that may have prevented the attacker from retaking control of the aircraft. The account, reported by Israeli news outlet N12 at 17:25 Jerusalem today, corroborates and expands on earlier reports from ynet in which passengers recounted a similar request from the crew.
The new detail follows a day of developments. As The Zioneer reported at 16:59 Jerusalem, ynet first quoted passengers saying cabin crew asked them to release the subdued co-pilot. That report came hours after ABC News, citing sources involved in the investigation at 14:01 Jerusalem, stated that the Omani co-pilot was cooperating and confessed he intended to crash the aircraft into Israeli territory. According to those sources, the dive only began after three Israeli passengers wrestled him from the pilot seat.
Last Wednesday's incident began mid-flight when the Omani co-pilot stabbed the captain and attempted to force the Boeing 737 into a terminal dive. Israeli passengers and other crew members breached the cockpit and subdued him, allowing the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. As The Zioneer reported earlier this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz characterized the event as a terrorist attack. Captain Smit Machchhar, the wounded pilot, provided a harrowing account of the struggle in a phone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Investigators later found 'Free Palestine' material among the suspect's belongings.
The Omani co-pilot remains in Saudi custody as the investigation continues. It remains unclear what motivated the cabin crew's reported request to release the assailant, or whether Flydubai management has addressed the matter. The precise timeline of the struggle and the crew's actions during the incident remain under official scrutiny.
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