Thwarted Hijacking on Flydubai Flight

In a dramatic turn of events, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Yaniv Hayoun, a passenger credited with helping prevent a hijacking attempt on a flydubai flight headed to Israel, ultimately protecting the lives of 174 individuals on board.

On Wednesday morning, an alarming incident unfolded as one pilot attacked the other, seemingly aiming to crash the aircraft. Passengers seated at the front, including Hayoun, acted quickly, rushing to the cockpit to confront the assailant, as reported by a fellow passenger to a local news outlet.

The flight was redirected to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, where most passengers were later transferred to another flight heading to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv.

After returning to Israel, Netanyahu met with Hayoun, who was still in disheveled clothes from the incident, praising him as a “hero.”

Hayoun shared his harrowing experience, noting that he and another individual, whom he thought was a pilot, forcibly approached the cockpit. He recalled that the injured pilot somehow managed to open the cockpit door before collapsing. This allowed other passengers to surge in and overpower the attacker, although initially, the fallen pilot obstructed their full entry.

According to Hayoun, the hijacker attempted to sabotage the flight instruments during a troubling dive. He managed to put the attacker in a chokehold until additional passengers stepped in, helping to restrain him. Hayoun then took the controls to stabilize the aircraft until an off-duty pilot arrived to assist.

Netanyahu also lauded the bravery of Captain Smit Machchhar, the pilot who was stabbed during the incident.

“Despite his serious injuries, he fought back bravely, opened the cockpit door, and allowed both passengers and crew to overpower the assailant, averting a potential mid-air catastrophe,” Netanyahu stated, emphasizing that Machchhar’s quick thinking saved lives.

The Indian Embassy in Riyadh shared that Captain Machchhar was receiving medical treatment at a local hospital in Tabuk and was reported to be stable.

In light of the attack, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz described the incident as “an attempted jihadist terrorist attack,” according to early information received. Reports suggest that the assailant is from Oman.