A passenger on the Flydubai flight that was hijacked on Wednesday described how he choked the assailant to prevent him from destroying the cockpit instruments and crashing the plane, according to a report by Channel 14's Maggie Tabibi.
A passenger on the Flydubai flight that was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday told Channel 14 that he choked the assailant — identified in earlier reports as the Omani co-pilot — as the suspect tried to destroy the cockpit instruments and crash the plane. “I choked him, he tried to crash the plane,” the passenger said, describing how he overpowered the attacker to save the other passengers.
Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the co-pilot stabbed the captain and attempted to crash the aircraft, and passengers managed to neutralize him. President Isaac Herzog called the incident “a grave event that ended in a great miracle and heroism.” The Zioneer reported at 19:04 Jerusalem that the captain was identified as Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, who has over 13 years of experience. At 19:17, we reported that Machchhar did not surrender despite being stabbed and received medical treatment from Israeli passengers on board; his condition has not been disclosed.
As The Zioneer reported earlier Wednesday, Fox News aired video of a passenger describing the cockpit struggle. Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to speak with US President Donald Trump in the coming hours, according to N12, and Netanyahu also met with one of the passengers who helped subdue the suspect.
The co-pilot’s motives remain under investigation. Netanyahu stated that the suspect is being questioned by Saudi authorities, and all passengers are out of danger. Flydubai confirmed that the cause of the incident is unknown and that a formal investigation is underway.
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