Israeli passengers foil attack on FlyDubai flight

At least three Israeli passengers helped avoid a tragedy on the FlyDubai flight by entering the cockpit and intervening to stop the co-pilot: Yaniv Hayoun, Zvika Manes and Asaf Rajuan. They are joined by Shota Musayev, a dentist, who provided aid to the wounded commander. Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced that he will propose the names of all four for the Presidential Award for Civilian Valor. "You put your lives at risk to save others and you avoided a terrible tragedy. Today the whole world saw the beautiful and courageous face of Israeli society," the Israeli president said while speaking to the four passengers. Herzog also expressed "his deep appreciation for the readiness, courage and sense of mutual responsibility demonstrated by the four in a situation of extreme danger." Here's who they are and what they said.

Who are the 3 passengers who entered the cockpit

Among the three passengers who broke into the cockpit was Yaniv Hayoun. Upon his arrival at Tel Aviv airport, with his shirt still stained with blood, he met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "You are a hero. You deserve a global medal of valor," the prime minister told him. Zvika Manes, CEO of Barak Capital, was also among the passengers who intervened to neutralize the attacker. The first to realize that something was wrong was his wife, who was near the cockpit because their daughter was in the bathroom. “It was a traumatic event of incredible proportions. My wife was near the cockpit because our daughter was in the bathroom. Suddenly she heard screams coming from inside. Together with two other people we entered and took control of the terrorist,” he said. An immediate intervention that left him "covered in blood", added Manes. The third passenger is Asaf Rajuan. According to the reconstruction of the Times of Israel, Rajuan entered the cabin together with the other passengers who intervened to stop the co-pilot.

Shota Musayev, the dentist who helped the commander

Another passenger, Shota Musayev, who is a dentist by profession, told Ynet that he helped immobilize the alleged attacker. "I went there to hit him", explained the doctor, specifying that he had given aid to the captain who was bleeding. "If we hadn't intervened, we wouldn't be talking to you. I didn't wait. I realized something was wrong and then I snapped,” he added.