‘Untie him’: After subduing hijacker, Israeli heroes face bizarre demand from cabin crew

Posted by Ryan Mitchell - October 7, 2026

Pᴀssengers tell New York Post crew confronted them after they subdued Omani co-pilot who tried to crash Tel Aviv-bound jet, prompting fears others were involved; no crew members accused in plot

Two Israeli pᴀssengers who subdued an Omani co-pilot who tried to crash a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv said in interviews with the New York Post that members of the cabin crew confronted them and demanded that they untie him.

“They were asking us to untie the terrorist — we had no idea why,” said Tzvika Manes, one of the Israeli pᴀssengers who helped overpower the co-pilot.

“They were saying to free the terrorist — we got instantly suspicious of them,” he said.

After attempted hijacking, Israel has changed no aviation security procedures | Ctech

The Israelis initially restrained the co-pilot — identified as Hamam al-Hammami — using headphone cords that Schlichter collected from other pᴀssengers, then secured him with plastic zip ties. As he was being held down, Yaniv Hayun, a plumber who was among the pᴀssengers who helped regain control of the aircraft, heard al-Hammami shouting, “Kill me, kill me.” The pᴀssengers believed the outburst followed the failure of what they suspected was his attempt to carry out a jihadist attack.

Several crew members then began demanding that the pᴀssengers release him. An argument broke out, with the Israelis insisting they would not free the co-pilot under any circumstances.

“They said, ‘You are not God, you are not going to kill him,’” Manes recalled. “We didn’t want to kill him, we just wanted him not to kill us.”

Schlichter, 59, was returning from a vacation in Japan with his wife. He and Manes told the Post that the Israelis even gave the injured suspect an oxygen mask.

“We wanted him to live so he could be investigated,” Schlichter said.

A struggle over control of the situation then developed, according to the pᴀssengers. Crew members insisted that they were responsible for the aircraft and should be left alone in the area immediately outside the cockpit. The Israeli pᴀssengers, fearing at the time that other crew members might have been involved in the co-pilot’s alleged plot, ordered the stewards away from the cockpit and told them to sit farther back in the cabin.

מטוס פליי דובאי שזנבו נשבר אחרי ניסיון הריסוק שלו אחרי שנחת בסעודיה

“We told them, ‘Now the policy is we’re in charge and you do what we say,’” Manes said. “We didn’t know what to think, we were in a suspicious mode for every steward.”

A group of pᴀssengers, including Schlichter, escorted the crew members to seats in the fifth or sixth row, away from the cockpit.

“We shouted at them and told them to sit down,” Schlichter said.

Manes said the pᴀssengers then recruited “a big guy” to guard the cockpit and prevent anyone from entering.

According to Schlichter, once the crew members were seated, they “began to understand that this was a special case” and started tending to traumatized pᴀssengers, providing blankets and water. The crew members have not been accused of conspiring with the Omani co-pilot.

Asked by the Post about the crew’s conduct, flydubai said it could not comment on a matter under investigation.

“We remain fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigation and are in close coordination with the relevant government authorities and regulators,” the airline said in a statement.

The investigation so far indicates that al-Hammami attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar with an emergency ax kept in the cockpit for use in breaking aircraft windows. Despite being wounded, Machchhar managed to crawl to the cockpit door and open it, allowing Hayun to overpower al-Hammami and help stabilize the aircraft.

Al-Hammami was later transferred from Saudi Arabia, where the plane made an emergency landing, to the United Arab Emirates. Emirati authorities have since described the alleged attempt to crash the aircraft as a “terrorist act” for the first time, as the investigation continues.

Authorities currently believe al-Hammami acted alone, and no reports have emerged indicating that he was acting on behalf of a terrorist organization or state.

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✓ Ryan Mitchell

Pᴀssengers tell New York Post crew confronted them after they subdued Omani co-pilot who tried to crash Tel Aviv-bound jet, prompting fears others were involved; no crew…

‘Untie him’: After subduing hijacker, Israeli heroes face bizarre demand from cabin crew

Pᴀssengers tell New York Post crew confronted them after they subdued Omani co-pilot who tried to crash Tel Aviv-bound jet, prompting fears others were involved; no crew members accused in plot

✓ Ryan Mitchell

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