Yaniv Chion, Tzvi Manes, Asaf Rejwan and Dr. Shota Moseev set up a group chat after subduing the Omani co-pilot who stabbed the captain mid-flight: We didn't think about our own lives, only how to save the whole plane
The four Israelis who showed extraordinary courage during the attempted hijacking on Wednesday's Fly Dubai flight have formed a WhatsApp group in the wake of the dramatic incident. Dr. Shota Moseev, one of the four, told Ynet that he wrote in the group: "We were all born again yesterday."
"We went through a historic event and even landed in Saudi Arabia," Moseev said. He now considers each of his fellow heroes, Yaniv Chion, Tzvi Manes and Asaf Rejwan, a new member of his family.
Moseev described to Ynet the moments when he and the others overpowered the attacker. He noticed his three fellow passengers subduing the Omani pilot and wanted to join them. "My wife tried at first to stop me, but I saw there were heroes there and I joined them," he said.
"At that moment we didn't think for even a second about our own lives or what might happen to us, only about how to save the whole plane," Moseev added. After the passengers succeeded in neutralising the attacker, Moseev, a physician, provided life-saving medical treatment to the Indian captain, who had been stabbed severely.
During the flight from Dubai to Israel, the co-pilot, an Omani national, attacked Captain Samit Machchar and stabbed him. Despite his serious injuries, the Indian pilot fought back and managed to open the cockpit door. The four Israeli passengers rushed to help, entered the cockpit and overpowered the attacker, at real risk to their own lives.
President Yitzchak Herzog spoke with the four heroes and informed them that he intends to bring their story of courage before the advisory committee for the "President's Award for Civilian Bravery" and to recommend that all four receive the honour. "In moments when the lives of so many people were in danger, you acted without hesitation, with courage, resourcefulness and extraordinary mutual responsibility," the President told them.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the Indian captain who fought off the attacker. "He displayed tremendous courage and saved hundreds of lives," Modi said. "His bravery helped save hundreds of lives and prevent a major disaster. India is proud of Captain Machchar. Praying for his speedy recovery."
Israel has defined the incident as a terror attack in every respect. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told American media outlets that the Omani pilot had planned "an Israeli 9/11". "We will know soon if Iran had a connection to this," Netanyahu said, though he clarified that Israel had no prior intelligence warning of the incident.
The Attorney General's office in the United Arab Emirates has ordered the establishment of a special investigative team to examine all lines of inquiry, chief among them the question of whether the incident was connected to any terror organisation. This is the first time Emirati authorities have directly addressed the suspicion that the incident was an act of terror.
Join our newsletter to receive updates on new articles and exclusive content.
We respect your privacy and will never share your information.
