A new video showing chaotic scenes inside and outside the cockpit of the flydubai plane emerged on social media on Friday. The clip shot on a phone camera from a seat near the cockpit showed people shouting in English and Hebrew.
In a video clip shared by Channel 12 news, one person could be heard saying, “he tried to crash the plane,” in reference to the Omani copilot who stabbed the plane’s Indian captain.
Others yell “take him out” in the direction of the cockpit and order people in the cabin to “sit down,” the Times of Israel reported.
Following a pause in recording, repeated calls for a doctor can be heard. Dr Shota Musayev, an Israeli dentist, then rushed to the front of the plane to provide medical treatment, though it wasn’t clear to whom, the report added.
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As the shouts of “sit down” continue, a man reportedly asked in Hebrew whether there is an additional pilot on the flight, to which someone responds affirmatively.
The footage then cuts to a bloodied lying on the ground outside the cockpit.
Wounded captain filmed explaining he can no longer squeeze his hand shut after copilot ‘hit me so many times’; footage also shows passengers and crew keeping eye on bound assailant.
The copilot allegedly stabbed the captain in the cockpit before passengers intervened aboard after taking off from Dubai, UAE. The plane was carrying 174 people to Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday.
The co-pilot had reportedly attempted to take control of the aircraft.
Despite his injuries, Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door, enabling passengers and crew to intervene. The plane went into a nosedive before Yaniv Hayun, a plumber who helped storm the cockpit to subdue the copilot, stabilised it, allowing a second pair of flydubai pilots onboard to take control of the aircraft and land it.
The aircraft subsequently diverted and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The captain was taken to a hospital in Tabuk.
Captain Machchhar, currently admitted in a hospital in Abu Dhabi for advanced medical care after suffering stab wounds, is now out of danger and is recovering, the Indian Ambassador to UAE confirmed.
According to the Associated Press, the incident is under investigation by Saudi, Emirati and Israeli authorities, with the United States and Oman assisting efforts to determine a motive.
Investigators have not publicly identified the object used to stab the flight’s captain or said whether it was carried onto the plane or came from inside the aircraft.
Michal Maayan, spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Thursday that initial assessments by Israeli authorities indicate that the co-pilot aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 allegedly intended to crash the aircraft.
The incident was thwarted at the last minute by the extraordinary bravery of Indian pilot , Maayan said.
“What we know at this stage is deeply disturbing. The initiexal assessment is that the co-pilot — the Omani co-pilot — allegedly intended to crash the aircraft with all 174 passengers on board, and we are talking about women and children as well,” Maayan told ANI.
“It was a serious terrorist incident, and it was thwarted in the last minute. Thankfully, a larger catastrophe has been averted. I can also share that the investigation is still ongoing, so we don’t have any final answers, but we are very much determined to get to the bottom of this and understand what really happened.”
Expressing profound gratitude on behalf of Israel to Captain Machchhar, Maayan lauded the Indian pilot’s courage in unlocking the flight deck door despite sustaining grave injuries during the assault.
“It is astonishing for us to witness his bravery. Captain Smith Machar was extraordinary, and even after suffering multiple stab wounds, he found the strength and resolve to open that cockpit door and prevent a much larger catastrophe,” Maayan stated.
“So many people in Israel are really praying for his speedy recovery. I actually saw some reports that he is improving in the hospital. You can see it across the board — from our Prime Minister to your Prime Minister — everyone in Israel is praying and in absolute awe of Captain Smith, and also grateful that he prevented a horrible thing from happening. He saved 174 lives, and I think we will never forget that,” Maayan added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday the co-pilot behind an apparent attack on a flight to Israel had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination” as the United Arab Emirates said it was probing a possible terror link.
“We know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination,” Netanyahu told the “Fox & Friends” TV show without elaborating, adding that the co-pilot was being interrogated.
The Israeli premier said “the attacker, he calls out to the aircrew, ‘Kill me, kill me'”, making it “clear he was suicidal”.
Israeli officials have called the incident “an attempted terrorist attack”, though in an earlier interview with CBS News, Netanyahu had not ruled out the possibility that mental health was to blame.
Netanyahu told Fox News that a disaster similar to the September 11, 2001 attacks “with bodies scattered in the desert” had been averted.
