On Wednesday, we saw a miracle in the skies. All of Israel is rejoicing, and we should be rejoicing with them. A major catastrophe was averted that would have sent shock waves around the world.
A flight traveling from Dubai (United Arab Emirates) to Tel Aviv, carrying 174 passengers, including more than 100 Israelis, narrowly escaped being hijacked by the co-pilot, a citizen of the Arab Gulf nation of Oman.
It was mayhem in the cockpit. After the captain was nearly killed in a brutal knife attack, the plane suddenly plunged approximately 14,000 feet in a matter of 30 seconds.
Imagine being a passenger on that plane with visions of 9/11 racing through your mind. Something like 9/11 may very well have happened if not for the heroism of the pilot, the reserve crew, and the Israeli passengers on board. Although the pilot was gravely wounded, he still managed to unlock the cockpit door. The reserve crew and passengers did not hesitate, immediately storming the cockpit to subdue the terrorist.
Israeli authorities say he was indeed an Islamic โjihadistโ who planned to crash the plane and kill everyone on board.
Defense Minister Israel Katz stated, “The serious incident on the Flydubai plane was an attempted jihadist terror attack, which was thwarted only thanks to the heroism of several Israeli passengers who broke into the cockpit… “
Flydubai flight 1073 was diverted, thankfully, to Saudi Arabia, and everyone landed safely later Wednesday back in Israel. One of the heroes from the flight who stormed the cockpit, took out the terrorist, and got things under control was greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The heroic pilot, originally from India, is now in stable conditionโthank Godโafter being stabbed in the neck midflight. Blood was everywhere, and despite being gravely wounded, he maintained the presence of mind to manually push the button unlocking the cockpit.
It is disturbing even to imagine what would have transpired if no one had been able to enter that cockpit. It was a miracle.
Now, we are left with big questions. The first is how the terrorist co-pilot was permitted to be on board this flight. One of the prerequisites for Israel’s relations with the UAE and allowing flights to come in from Dubai to Tel Aviv is that only people from countries that have relations with Israel are permitted to fly and be on the flights. Oman does not have relations with Israel. That is very troublesome.
The second question is how on earth he got a knife on board the plane? This necessitates a new level of security examination related to pilots, the stewardess, the flight attendant, and baggage handlers.
All sorts of troubling scenarios need to be taken into serious account because of this disturbing incident.
I donโt believe this is a coincidence that the October 7th anniversary is just a few days away.
Remember, we had the attempted, or at least a dry run, it seems, in Britain on Sunday. Five Muslim men were arrested near a US/UK airbase. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said today that there was an Iran link to that suspected plot: โThere are Strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford. But of course, it remains an ongoing complex, and serious police investigation.โ
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said foreign actors were involved in that Britain plot. Are these two plots linked? We don’t know yet. What we do know is that Iran is the name that keeps coming up. The big question: if Iran was indeed involved in both plots, what do the US, UK, and Israel do about it?
The plot thickens. Have we entered a dangerous new phase in the war with Islamic jihadists?
Let us bask in this miracle that these passengersโmostly Israeliโreceived. Letโs pray for the heroic pilotโs speedy recovery and thank God for him and the brave passengers. God is a God of miracles. Tragedy was turned into triumph.
Let’s be cognizant of the threats and what lies ahead, while also realizing that through it all, God Almighty still sits on the throneโHe always has, and He always will.
