WORLD
Israel president gives ‘heroism’ awards to 4 flydubai passengers
Indian pilot, Smit MachchhaR, managed to open the cockpit door to let passengers and crew save the plane after being stabbed by the co-pilot.
JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Thursday he would present “heroism” awards to four Israelis who helped overpower a flydubai co-pilot and prevented him from crashing the plane they were on.
“You put yourselves at risk to save others and prevented a terrible disaster. Today, the whole world saw the beautiful and courageous face of Israeli society,” Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial role, said in a statement.
“I am proud of you, and I thank you on behalf of the State of Israel.”
He also hailed the plane’s Indian pilot, Smit Machchhar, who Israeli officials say managed to open the cockpit door to let passengers and crew save the plane after being stabbed by the co-pilot.
Among the Israelis to receive the Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism is Yaniv Hayoun, a plumber who says he beat and pinned down the co-pilot after breaking into the cockpit.
Yanoun, wearing a still-bloody shirt, was personally welcomed on his return to Israel Wednesday at Ben Gurion Airport by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The passengers said they rushed to the cockpit after a woman screamed and said there was a stabbing.
“It was an extraordinary incident,” Asaf Rajuan, who helped pin down the attacker and will also receive the award, told Herzog, according to the president’s office.
“We felt helpless, suspended in midair, and I didn’t know who to turn to. But it was all instinct: To survive, to save the family, the people, and the children.”
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates’ chief prosecutor on Thursday said an investigation had been launched into the incident on board a flydubai flight to Israel, state media reported.
For friends and neighbors in the Mumbai suburb where his parents live, the courage came as little surprise.
They describe Machchhar, who is in his 30s and holds more than a decade of flying experience, as a soft-spoken, helpful and “always smiling” man who has remained calm under pressure since childhood.
“We did not expect any less from him — it did not come as a surprise,” said Akshay Doshi, who has known Machchhar for around 15 years and lives next door to his parents in their apartment block.
“We are proud of him for his nature, for his bravery,” another neighbor, Laxmikant Joshi, told Agence France-Presse.