A hijacking attempt nearly occurred on a Flydubai flight bound for\nIsrael. One passenger recounted the moments of resistance, including\nbreaching the cockpit, to prevent the hijacking from taking place.<\/p>\n
According to reports from Reuters and CNN on Thursday (1\/10\/2026),\nIsraeli officials stated that passengers and crew entered the cockpit\nand incapacitated the co-pilot, who is suspected of being the\nperpetrator. More than 10 hours later, the aircraft finally managed to\nland in Israel.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can only say that it was a miracle. The situation was horrific and\nchaotic; we are grateful to God that we survived. We thought we wouldn\u2019t\nmake it through, but thankfully we are now in Israel. We have returned\nhome and are happy to see everyone here,\u201d said passenger Lital\nShachaf.<\/p>\n
Another passenger, Yaniv Hayoun, described the moments when he and\nother passengers stopped the hijacking attempt. Hayoun recounted that he\nmanaged to lock the perpetrator\u2019s neck and drag him out of the\ncockpit.<\/p>\n
Hayoun met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on\nWednesday (30\/9) local time to recount his efforts to enter the cockpit.\nHe noted that the pilot, who was injured by a stabbing from the\nperpetrator, was pressed against the door, making it initially difficult\nto open.<\/p>\n
Upon successfully entering the cockpit, he saw the attacker\npositioned above the panel located between the two pilot seats.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were no pilots in their seats: one person was on the floor,\nand another was on top of the [panel],\u201d Haylar said.<\/p>\n
He stated that the perpetrator appeared to be attempting to disable\nthe aircraft. Hayoun then called upon other passengers to assist him in\nsecuring the perpetrator.<\/p>\n
\u201cI called out to several Israeli passengers on the plane, and two\nother men came to help. We then incapacitated the perpetrator,\u201d said\nHayoun.<\/p>\n
\u201cI immediately moved forward, took control, and began pulling the\nlever backwards.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hayoun told Netanyahu that the entire event unfolded in seconds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI imagine if we had already entered Israeli airspace, the situation\nmight not have ended well,\u201d he told Netanyahu.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Flydubai stated that the exact cause of the incident\nis not yet known. An Israeli official identified the co-pilot as an\nOmani national.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Netanyahu told Reuters that the injured\ncaptain\u2014identified by the Israeli leader\u2019s office as Smit Machchhar, an\nIndian national\u2014was lying in a pool of blood on the floor when he\nmanaged to press the release button to open the cockpit door. The\npassengers who entered found the co-pilot striking the aircraft\u2019s\ncontrol panel.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was an act done without thinking; you just run to save the life\nof your daughter, the life of your family,\u201d said Asaf Rajuan, one of the\npassengers who helped subdue the attacker.<\/p>\n
Netanyahu Claims Pilot Intended to Crash Plane<\/p>\n
Previously, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke out\nregarding the Flydubai flight from Dubai, UAE, which was suddenly\ndiverted to Saudi Arabia. He stated that the pilot intended to crash the\nplane and kill the passengers.<\/p>\n
According to AFP on Wednesday (30\/9), passengers provided similar\naccounts regarding the incident on board. They described a struggle for\ncontrol after the plane suddenly plummeted, losing approximately 17,000\nfeet in altitude within one minute, according to Flightradar24.<\/p>\n
Flydubai stated that all 174 passengers, 166 of whom are Israeli\nnationals, are safe. In its statement, Flydubai also noted that it does\nnot yet know the cause of the disturbance on the aircraft.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/passenger-testimony-of-cockpit-breach-thwarts-flydubai-hijacking-attempt-1790823390", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }