The pilot of a passenger plane flying to Israel was stabbed several times by his co-pilot in the cockpit early Wednesday, according to officials — causing the aircraft to plunge 18,000 feet in what was feared to be a “terrorist attack in mid-air.”
The FlyDubai Boeing 737 Max 8 plane flying to Tel Aviv from the United Arab Emirates was cruising at around 34,000 feet when one of the pilots tried to take control in what Israeli sources say was an attempted hijacking, the Jerusalem Post reported.
“One pilot stabbed the other and tried to do 9/11,” an official told Channel 12 of the horror that saw Israeli fighter jets scrambled as a precaution.
Some of the 174 passengers onboard also filmed horrific footage of one of the pilots covered in blood.
“We’re here during the hijacking of an airplane. At this point we’ve subdued the terrorists,” one passenger said, begging for help as blood ran down his head.
“We were either going to crash or be murdered,” another passenger told I24 News.
“It was like a terrorist attack in mid-air.”
The attacker is believed to be Omani and had worked at FlyDubai for less than a year, sources told the Jerusalem Post.
The plane dropped from approximately 34,000 feet to around 15,400 feet in just 12 minutes, according to FlightAware data. It was eventually landed by two off-duty European pilots who were onboard — with photos showing the plane’s rudder destroyed during the mid-air terror
One passenger, known only as Meital, said a crew member “tried to crash the plane” before cabin crew and other passengers rushed to stop the aggressor. --->READ MORE HERE
He didn’t reckon, however, on the indomitable spirit of the passengers.
By now, the whole world knows, as the New York Post reported Wednesday, that “an Israel-bound passenger plane pilot was reportedly stabbed several times by the jet’s co-pilot in the cockpit — and the terrifying scenes caused the aircraft to plunge almost 20,000 feet in minutes, sparking fears of a ‘terrorist attack in mid-air.’”
The passenger plane pilot who was stabbed was an Indian national, Captain Smit Machchhar; his co-pilot was an Omani Muslim who had evidently decided that a plane full of Israelis gave him a marvelous opportunity to wage jihad for the sake of Allah.
“The jet,” says the Post, “which departed Dubai for Tel Aviv just before 7 a.m., was cruising at around 34,000 feet before violence broke out in the cockpit around two-and-a-half hours into the flight.” At that point, “the co-pilot tried to take control of the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane, which was carrying 174 passengers including 27 children, and attacked the pilot several times.”
One passenger recounted : “We were either going to crash or be murdered. It was like a terrorist attack in mid-air.” Very like. An official explained: “One pilot stabbed the other and tried to do 9/11.”
This sort of thing was bound to happen sooner or later, and will almost certainly happen again. After all, the Qur’an repeatedly directs Muslims to “kill them wherever you find them.” (2:191, 4:89, 4:91, cf. 9:5) Regarding the Jews, it says: “You will find the Jews and the idolaters the most vehement of mankind in hostility to those who believe” (5:82), and demonizes them relentlessly in numerous other passages.
Add to all that the fact that the Islamic jihad against Israel is worldwide. Numerous Islamic jihad groups have called for the murder of Jews all over the world. It’s noteworthy that the pilot who attempted this aerial jihad was Omani. Oman is not often heard from in connection with jihad, and many assume that the Muslims there are “moderates.” The jihad, however, is universal. In fact, when a Muslim land is attacked, Islamic theology holds that defensive jihad is obligatory upon every Muslim worldwide. And many Muslim authorities consider the very existence of Israel to constitute the attack of a Muslim land.
The unnamed official whom the Post quoted also said: “A very serious disaster was averted.” Indeed. And according to C14News, “witnesses report that the pilot initiated a steep, dangerous dive with the intent to crash the plane; only the extraordinary quick thinking of Israeli passengers—who joined forces with another crew member to physically subdue the suspect—managed to halt the descent at the last moment, saving the lives of approximately 180 Israeli citizens and the other passengers.” --->READ MORE HERE
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