Passengers and a plumber subdue axe-wielding co-pilot on FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv
Passengers on a FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv wrestled an axe-armed co-pilot who attacked the captain, averting a hijacking.
Footage released by Israeli media captures a violent struggle on a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv when a co-pilot attacked his fellow pilot with an axe, prompting fears of a hijacking. Passengers, speaking in Hebrew and English, called for medical aid and urged the attacker to be removed. Among the responders, plumber Yaniv Hayoun placed the suspect in a chokehold and briefly manipulated the flight controls, while dentist Dr Shota Musayev treated the wounded captain.
The alleged assailant, an Omani national, and the injured Indian captain were flown to the United Arab Emirates for care. Five passengers received Israel’s Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism for their actions. Israeli security agencies have faced criticism for permitting a pilot from a country without diplomatic ties to Israel on the flight.
Why it matters
The incident reveals airline security gaps and showcases civilian heroism that prevented a possible disaster.
How this story developed
- Sep 30 Netanyahu hails Indian pilot who thwarted alleged flydubai sabotage
- Sep 30 "Every pilot that is going to be flying into Israel, we are going to know the pilots' identities, know who they are, and do some type of security check," Doron Spielman said.
- Oct 1 U.S. President Donald Trump publicly praised the Indian pilot.
- Oct 1 Netanyahu said Saudi Arabia arrested one of the pilots who allegedly tried to crash a FlyDubai flight.
- Oct 1 Israel’s transport minister ordered a six‑day suspension of Flydubai flights to Israel and Emirates halted code‑share operations on those routes.
- Oct 1 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the second pilot who stabbed the captain on a Fly Dubai flight had undergone Islamist radicalisation.
- Oct 1 The Saudi interior ministry said its initial probe indicates the co-pilot on the Dubai‑to‑Tel Aviv flight assaulted the captain.
- Oct 1 A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced to land in Tabuk after the co-pilot assaulted the captain, injuring both crew members.
- Oct 2 The suspect was transferred to United Arab Emirates authorities.
- Oct 2 A UAE official called the mid-air incident on flydubai flight FZ1073 a terrorist act and praised Indian pilot Smit Machchhar for safely landing the aircraft after a co-pilot attack.
- Oct 2 Modi praised Machchhar for averting disaster.
- Oct 2 Saudi Arabia declined Israel’s request to use military aircraft to retrieve its passengers from Tabuk.
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