Netanyahu Says Israelis Foiled ‘9/11-Style’ Attack as Israel, UAE Launch Joint Investigation

TEL AVIV — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a 9/11 style attack was prevented when Israeli civilians subdued a pilot after he stabbed the captain on a plane from Dubai to Tel Aviv and attempted to crash the aircraft. Speaking to Fox News, Mr. Netanyahu said he doesn’t know the “exact background” of the co-pilot who stabbed an Indian captain on the plane but that he “obviously hated Israelis because he was going to kill about 170 of them, and himself as well. So that’s fanaticism and hatred of an incalculable level.”Mr. Netanyahu said the Israeli passengers and extra set of pilots on the plane “managed to prevent a 9/11 disaster.” As for whether Iran was behind the attempted terror attack, Mr. Netanyahu said: “It’s too early to say. The attacking pilot is now being investigated (by) Saudi Arabia. I think he’ll be taken to the Emirates where he comes from — or at least where he flew off from. We’ll be following and also possibly participating in this investigation.”Israel’s Channel 16 reported that an anonymous colleague of the co-pilot said he “was someone characterized by very strange behavior, especially around religious observances that were out of step with his surroundings”.“For instance, he used to pray a lot, and would not shake hands with women. There is no other way to put it, we hired the services of a terrorist and nearly caused the deaths of 180 people,” the source told Channel 16. The Indian captain, who is now being treated in a hospital in Saudi Arabia, managed to send out an alarm code and open the door to the cockpit after he was stabbed, allowing for Israeli passengers to take action and wrestle the co-pilot to the ground as it was spiraling towards the ground. Mr. Netanyahu said that without the “courage” of all of those involved Israel would have”faced a disaster of unbelievable proportions… I don’t know if you’re next hijacked, (but) make sure an Israeli is sitting next to you.” The prime minister also spoke to CNN where he said Israel had a”lot of information streaming in that Iran’s proxies … were planning attacks against Israel and Israeli civilians abroad. But I can’t tell you that we had any specific warning about this.”Mr. Netanyahu also elaborated on a possible joint investigation with the UAE, saying he spoke to the country’s President, (Sheikh Mohammed) bin Zahed, “and he agreed immediately that we should join the investigation. And we’ll find out.”President Trump also reacted to the violent attack on the plane, saying: “I did speak to Bibi Netanyahu at length about this event. It seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack-job, and he stabbed the pilot.”Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency, meanwhile, prepares to help make necessary security preparations in Dubai so that flights can again resume to Tel Aviv after Flydubai canceled flights following Wednesday’s attack, Israeli media reported. Channel 12’s chief political correspondent, Amit Segal, reported that there had been a “major dispute” in recent weeks between Shin Bet Director David Zini and Israel’s airlines over a “ban the Shin Bet had imposed on flights to the UAE.”“The agency’s reasoning was straightforward: it considered security measures at Emirati airports insufficient, and since the Shin Bet is responsible for securing Israeli flights to and from Israel, it dug in and blocked those flights from going ahead,” he said. But since Shin Bet is responsible for Israeli flights; the Ministry of Transportation is responsible for foreign airlines departing from Israel; and the Mossad is responsible for thwarting international terrorist threats abroad “this incident — a foreign airline, a foreign pilot — doesn’t sit squarely inside any one of those mandates,” Mr. Segal reported. Israel’s President, Isaac Herzog, announced he would recommend that the four Israeli passengers who helped prevent the plane from crashing receive the presidential award for civilian heroism. Speaking to Yaniv Hayoun, Dr. Shota Musayev, Zvika Manes, and Asaf Rajuan, Mr. Herzog lauded their “extraordinary heroism”“At a time when the lives of so many people were in danger, you acted without hesitation, with courage, resourcefulness, and extraordinary mutual responsibility. You put yourselves at risk to save others and prevented a terrible disaster,” he told them in a phone call. Dr. Musayev, who helped save the Indian pilot after he was stabbed, said “everyone who was there and came near the cockpit was part of it. We were all heroes. All the passengers were heroes. We supported one another on the plane and also when we arrived in Saudi Arabia, and we took care of each other as we should. It shows our strength as a people.”

Netanyahu Says Israelis Foiled ‘9/11-Style’ Attack as Israel, UAE Launch Joint Investigation

Netanyahu Says Israelis Foiled ‘9/11-Style’ Attack as Israel, UAE Launch Joint Investigation

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