“Free the Terrorist”: Flydubai Crew Demanded Israeli Heroes Untie Ax-Wielding Co-Pilot After Foiling Hijacking

This was a well coordinated terror known to many. The passengers’ account raises a many chilling questions. After Israeli passengers subdued the ax-wielding co-pilot, crew members allegedly demanded that they untie him—the very man they had just stopped from seizing the aircraft. That extraordinary demand warrants scrutiny alongside reports that he had previously been barred from flying over extremist views. These accounts do not establish a coordinated conspiracy, but they demand an investigation that reaches beyond the cockpit: who knew about his background, who cleared him to fly, and why anyone aboard wanted a restrained terror suspect released. Every person who enabled his access or intervened on his behalf must account for their actions.

Furthermore, the terror pilot was a known jihadi. Terrorist images were found on his social media and he posted about killing Jews online in disturbing social media posts. And he had been previously banned from flying over his terroristic views.

“His social media accounts [say] clearly that he has been radicalized into jihadist ideology.”

“He talks about killing Jews.”

Photo: Not the zabiba (forehead bruise) from banging his head on the floor during daily prayers.

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Crew of hijacked flydubai plane clashed with heroic Israeli passengers, demanded tied-up terror pilot be freed

By David Spector, NY Post

The crew of the hijacked flydubai plane shockingly clashed with heroic Israeli passengers who subdued the ax-wielding co-pilot after he attacked the pilot — demanding he be freed, two men who helped secure the terror suspect told The Post in exclusive interviews.

As he was subdued, Hayoun heard the terrorist cry, “Kill me, kill me” — apparently because he failed in his Jihadist mission, Manes said.

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Yet some crew members began demanding that he be freed.

An argument ensued and the Israeli trio shot back that under no circumstances would the suspected terrorist be released.

“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, who was also returning from a vacation in Japan with his wife, and Manes both said that the Israelis even gave the wounded terrorist an oxygen mask.

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

A power play ensued with the crewmembers insisting that they were in charge of the plane and needed to remain alone in the area directly in front of the cockpit.

The Israelis, fearing the crew could be involved in the pilot’s plot, ordered the stewards to leave the cockpit area and to take seats in the middle of the plane.

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“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 passengers, Schlichter among them, 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,” said Schlichter, who has two children and two granddaughters.

The trio then enlisted a “big guy” to guard the cockpit and prevent anyone from entering, Manes said.