The names of two pilots who helped foil a terror plot aboard a Flydubai flight in September were made public at an awards ceremony in the United Arab Emirates, infohub.kz reports.
According to NUR.KZ, citing The Times of Israel, the pilots who prevented the attack were Rowan Toos of South Africa and Hanson Steven of Fiji. Their names had not been disclosed before the ceremony.
They and other crew members received the Order of Zayed II, First Class, from Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of the UAE.
The pilots' identities had been withheld until then because all attention had focused on Machchhar, who was seriously wounded in a struggle with the attacker.
"The President of the UAE awards the flydubai crew members involved in the September onboard incident the Order of Zayed II, First Class, in recognition of their courageous efforts to ensure the safety of passengers. The awards were presented by Hamdan bin Mohammed, who praised the crew's actions and sense of responsibility," the Dubai Media Office said in a statement.
On September 30, media reported that a Boeing 737 passenger jet had sent an emergency signal while turning over Saudi Arabia. It transmitted code 7500, which indicates hijacking or unlawful interference. Israeli Air Force fighter jets were scrambled toward the airliner.
It was later reported that the aircraft had landed in Saudi Arabia. Reports said a fight had broken out among the pilots aboard the Dubai–Tel Aviv flight.
First photos and videos from inside the plane soon emerged. It later emerged that the injured pilot was Indian national Smit Machchhar, who described the details of the incident.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called what happened on board an attempted terror attack. The name and nationality of the pilot suspected of attempting the attack also became known. The UAE Prosecutor General's Office likewise recognized the incident as an attempted terror attack.
In addition, Israel said the Flydubai pilot had wanted to crash the plane at Tel Aviv airport.