Flight crew members allegedly demanded that Israeli passengers release the terrorist co-pilot they had just subdued after he attacked the captain and attempted to seize control of a Flydubai passenger jet, according to two of the men who helped stop the attack. It was later revealed that the co-pilot was planning to crash the plane into Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport.
The confrontation unfolded aboard Flydubai Flight 1073 after passengers overpowered co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national who investigators say intended to crash the aircraft in a terrorist attack on Israel. “They were asking us to untie the terrorist, we had no idea why,” Tzvika Manes, one of three civilians who helped overpower al-Hammami, told the New York Post.
“They were saying to free the terrorist; we got instantly suspicious of them,” passenger Daniel Schlichter said.
Video from aboard the aircraft showed the restrained al-Hammami while passengers insisted he would be released “only to police.”
The confrontation began after al-Hammami allegedly attacked Indian Capt. Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit with the aircraft's emergency crash axe while the plane was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
Despite being seriously injured, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door. Manes, plumber Yaniv Hayoun, and Asaf Rajuan rushed the attacker and overpowered him. The passengers restrained al-Hammami face-down, first with zip ties and then with headphone wires collected from passengers. Manes said the suspect cried, “Kill me, kill me” while being subdued.
According to Manes and Schlichter, some crew members then demanded that the passengers release him. Manes said crew members told them, “You are not God, you are not going to kill him.”
“We didn’t want to kill him, we just wanted him not to kill us,” Manes said.
Schlichter said the passengers even provided the wounded suspect with oxygen because they wanted him alive to be investigated.
The passengers nevertheless became suspicious enough of the crew that they ordered flight attendants away from the cockpit. “We told them, ‘Now the policy is we’re in charge and you do what we say,’” Manes said. “We didn’t know what to think; we were in a suspicious mode for every steward.”
Passengers escorted crew members several rows away and stationed another passenger outside the cockpit. Of the 174 passengers on board, 166 of them were Israeli and 27 were children.
Flydubai told the Post that it could not comment on the crew's behavior while the matter remains under investigation. “We remain fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigation and are in close coordination with the relevant government authorities and regulators,” the airline said.
Israel has reportedly asked the UAE to question the flight attendants as part of the investigation. According to the Times of Israel, Al-Hammami reportedly told investigators that he planned to kill or incapacitate the captain, continue flying normally toward Israel to avoid raising alarms, receive clearance to approach Ben Gurion Airport and then deliberately crash the aircraft. “The dream was to crash into Ben-Gurion Airport,” he reportedly told investigators.
Al-Hammami allegedly researched airlines flying to Israel and deliberately sought employment with Flydubai to gain access to the Tel Aviv route. “I looked into which airline flies to Tel Aviv. That’s why I chose flydubai. I planned it even before I was accepted,” he reportedly said. He had reportedly flown to Israel several times and used a previous trip to study Ben Gurion Airport. Investigators say he planned an earlier attack in July but abandoned it at the last moment.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Oman Air had previously scrutinized his online activity and determined that his interest in radical ideology made him unsuitable to fly. He was reportedly grounded, put through a deradicalization program, and reassigned to an administrative position. Flydubai nevertheless hired him in February after conducting a criminal background check but reportedly did not contact Oman Air to verify his previous employment. Emirati authorities are now investigating employees involved in hiring him.
Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, raising questions about how an Omani national was permitted to pilot flights into the country. The UAE had provided Israeli authorities with the flight manifest, including the pilots' names and nationalities, before departure, according to the Associated Press. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since ordered a review of security procedures involving foreign civilian aircraft.
During the attack, the aircraft plunged thousands of feet. Hayoun entered the cockpit and helped stabilize the plane using techniques he said he remembered from watching Air Disasters. Two pilots traveling aboard the aircraft subsequently took control. The plane eventually landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Manes, who was traveling with his wife and three young daughters, said hearing his children crying prompted him to confront al-Hammami. “When I heard my daughters crying ‘Father I don’t want to die’ — that was the trigger for me to run and fight,” he said.
“None of us were fighters or heroes, we were just normal guys who wanted to save our families.”
The confrontation unfolded aboard Flydubai Flight 1073 after passengers overpowered co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national who investigators say intended to crash the aircraft in a terrorist attack on Israel. “They were asking us to untie the terrorist, we had no idea why,” Tzvika Manes, one of three civilians who helped overpower al-Hammami, told the New York Post.
“They were saying to free the terrorist; we got instantly suspicious of them,” passenger Daniel Schlichter said.
Video from aboard the aircraft showed the restrained al-Hammami while passengers insisted he would be released “only to police.”
The confrontation began after al-Hammami allegedly attacked Indian Capt. Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit with the aircraft's emergency crash axe while the plane was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
Despite being seriously injured, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door. Manes, plumber Yaniv Hayoun, and Asaf Rajuan rushed the attacker and overpowered him. The passengers restrained al-Hammami face-down, first with zip ties and then with headphone wires collected from passengers. Manes said the suspect cried, “Kill me, kill me” while being subdued.
According to Manes and Schlichter, some crew members then demanded that the passengers release him. Manes said crew members told them, “You are not God, you are not going to kill him.”
“We didn’t want to kill him, we just wanted him not to kill us,” Manes said.
Schlichter said the passengers even provided the wounded suspect with oxygen because they wanted him alive to be investigated.
The passengers nevertheless became suspicious enough of the crew that they ordered flight attendants away from the cockpit. “We told them, ‘Now the policy is we’re in charge and you do what we say,’” Manes said. “We didn’t know what to think; we were in a suspicious mode for every steward.”
Passengers escorted crew members several rows away and stationed another passenger outside the cockpit. Of the 174 passengers on board, 166 of them were Israeli and 27 were children.
Flydubai told the Post that it could not comment on the crew's behavior while the matter remains under investigation. “We remain fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigation and are in close coordination with the relevant government authorities and regulators,” the airline said.
Israel has reportedly asked the UAE to question the flight attendants as part of the investigation. According to the Times of Israel, Al-Hammami reportedly told investigators that he planned to kill or incapacitate the captain, continue flying normally toward Israel to avoid raising alarms, receive clearance to approach Ben Gurion Airport and then deliberately crash the aircraft. “The dream was to crash into Ben-Gurion Airport,” he reportedly told investigators.
Al-Hammami allegedly researched airlines flying to Israel and deliberately sought employment with Flydubai to gain access to the Tel Aviv route. “I looked into which airline flies to Tel Aviv. That’s why I chose flydubai. I planned it even before I was accepted,” he reportedly said. He had reportedly flown to Israel several times and used a previous trip to study Ben Gurion Airport. Investigators say he planned an earlier attack in July but abandoned it at the last moment.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Oman Air had previously scrutinized his online activity and determined that his interest in radical ideology made him unsuitable to fly. He was reportedly grounded, put through a deradicalization program, and reassigned to an administrative position. Flydubai nevertheless hired him in February after conducting a criminal background check but reportedly did not contact Oman Air to verify his previous employment. Emirati authorities are now investigating employees involved in hiring him.
Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, raising questions about how an Omani national was permitted to pilot flights into the country. The UAE had provided Israeli authorities with the flight manifest, including the pilots' names and nationalities, before departure, according to the Associated Press. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since ordered a review of security procedures involving foreign civilian aircraft.
During the attack, the aircraft plunged thousands of feet. Hayoun entered the cockpit and helped stabilize the plane using techniques he said he remembered from watching Air Disasters. Two pilots traveling aboard the aircraft subsequently took control. The plane eventually landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Manes, who was traveling with his wife and three young daughters, said hearing his children crying prompted him to confront al-Hammami. “When I heard my daughters crying ‘Father I don’t want to die’ — that was the trigger for me to run and fight,” he said.
“None of us were fighters or heroes, we were just normal guys who wanted to save our families.”
