'He prevented another 9/11': Netanyahu on flydubai Dubai-Tel Aviv flight passenger who steadied plunging aircraft

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayun, who saved the day on the ill-fated flydubai Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, prevented an attack akin to the 9/11 attacks that took place in 2001. The Dubai-Tel Aviv flight made an emergency landing at Tabuk airport in northern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after an incident in the cockpit, according to Reuters and Israeli officials.

Initial assessments cited by Reuters said the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and was later subdued after cabin crew and passengers entered the cockpit. The injured captain was identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar.

Flydubai operates daily return flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv, a route that is popular among Israeli nationals. The flight path normally uses airspace over Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

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Netanyahu on the braveheart

In an interaction with Fox News' Sean Hannity, the Israeli PM said that the passenger showed "tremendous courage" that prevented another attack of the scale of 9/11. Recalling the meeting with Yaniv, he said, "I asked him you know, 'How did you do it?' And he said, 'Well, I just had to do it. I had to act to save [them]'. His family was there, 174 passengers, most of whom were Israelis, were there. He had to save them and he acted with coolness of judgment and heroism that is just tremendous courage that prevented another 9/11.

Delving further into his interaction with the brave passenger, he said, I asked him, 'So what do you do for a living?". And he said, 'I'm a plumber. I unplug, unclog sewage clogs. I said, 'Well, you certainly unclogged a big one this time. An amazing act of heroism of his, of the Indian pilot, of the people who helped them. They stopped a disaster that could have been global."

Netanyahu meets Yaniv

Previously, Netanyahu met the passenger, who told him that the plane was "on the nose" downwards. "I called the Israeli guys who were on the metro. I called them like come get me off two more guys. I told them we just sent him away," Yaniv can be heard telling the Israeli PM.

He added that he basically jumped into the cockpit and started pulling the reins.  When asked how did he know how to pull the controls, he said, "I watch Mayday Mr Prime Minister."

He later said that the plane started levelling as he continued to pull the reins and then the pilot took control from there on. Mayday, also known as Air Crash Investigation or Air Disasters, is a documentary series which examines legendary aviation disasters such as air crashes, near-crashes, hijackings, bombings, and other disasters.

Besides this, Netanyahu's office also released a video showing him giving a hug to the passenger who "broke into" the cockpit. "I see you and I see a lion - a big hero," Netanyahu told the passenger at the Ben Gurion Airport.

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What happened on the flydubai Tel Aviv-Dubai flight?

Israeli officials told Reuters the Omani co-pilot was subdued after cabin crew and passengers entered the cockpit.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8, carrying about 180 passengers, landed safely after Israeli and Saudi jets were scrambled. Tracking data showed the aircraft dropped 17,400 feet, from 34,000 feet to about 16,600 feet, in just over two minutes before the first alert. The flight first transmitted code 7700 and then 7500.

Passenger Miriam said she heard screams about two hours into the flight and saw one of the pilots injured with a folding knife in his hand. There was "blood everywhere", she said. A second team of pilots on the flight carried out the emergency landing.

Tabuk Airport said both the pilot and co-pilot were taken to hospital and that the aircraft's rudder was damaged. Israel described the incident as an attempted terror attack and said Mossad was investigating. A second flydubai rescue flight later reached Tel Aviv.

Hebrew media reported that Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Mohammed bin Zayed. US President Donald Trump said that he spoke "at length" with Netanyahu about the incident. Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, he said, "This is the story that I heard - I don't know if it's true, but that's the story that I got from Bibi (Netanyahu)."