Israel president says to present 'heroism' awards to 4 flydubai passengers
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.
8 minutes
RT.com: Head, hands ‘almost severed’: Who is the Indian pilot praised by Modi and Netanyahu?
Wounded in an attack by his co-pilot, FlyDubai Captain Smit Machchhar opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to intervene
Captain Smit Machchhar, whose family is from Mumbai, is being treated at a hospital in Saudi Arabia and is reported to be in stable condition.
“I started helping the pilot because he had lost a lot of blood and was in bad shape,” a dentist on board the flight, Shota Musaev, told CNN. “He was covered in cuts – his head, his hands – they were practically sliced open, almost severed in two.” Musaev treated the pilot and also helped the other passengers subdue the attacker.
How did they get into the cockpit? The door is supposed to be locked. The captain of the aircraft is the one who did the main job in preventing the hijacking: alleged wounds to his face and hands: he was grabbing the knife.