Asaf Rajuan, one of the Israeli heroes who helped subdued the terrorist who tried to crash a flydubai flight full of Israelis, says he told investigators about his concerns regarding two of the flight attendants.
In an interview with Channel 12 news, Rajuan describes the two crew members as “strapping,” saying they weren’t the “typecast” of flight attendants.
He also says that in retrospect the two acted unusually during beverage and food service, but acknowledges there was nothing they did that was particularly suspicious.
“Something there smelled off,” he says, alleging the two crew members were exchanging nervous glances and that one of them asked in an accusatory manner if he was a police officer.
According to Rajuan, he told security officials the two had a code to enter the cockpit and were “coming and going,” which he says should be looked into.
It’s not always clear from his remarks at what point on the flight he is referring to.
He also says one of the flight attendants brought an unidentified pill — which he notes could’ve been Aspirin — to Captain Smit Machchhar as Dr. Shota Musayev, an Israeli dentist, was treating the wounds he sustained when attacked by his Omani copilot. Rajuan points out that Machchhar had an oxygen mask on, which they yelled at the crew member.
Additionally, Rajuan says it was suspicious how the crew yelled at passengers not to film and alleges that one flight attendant was “slowly loosening” the zip ties that those who thwarted the attack used to bind the terrorist.
“We said to him, ‘What are you doing? What are you doing?’ It drove us crazy, we almost jumped on him.”
“We were afraid of them. They were beasts. You touch him, you feel like you’re touching a rock… One of my fears is that one of them would take a weapon, take out a knife, something,” Rajuan continues.
Asked if it was possible that the crew members were similarly stressed, he responds that it’s possible. “Therefore I’m not coming out with declarations, I’m telling you my feelings and what we saw.”
Rajuan also makes a point to say that one of the two crew members for some 30 minutes was looking around while “bent over” the wounded Indian pilot “as if he wanted to do something… And then at some point… he grabbed my hand and looked me in the eyes and said something like, ‘If he will be dead, we will land safe.'”
“I was a little in shock,” he says.
UAE investigators have reportedly investigated members of the flight crew at Israel’s request and concluded they had no connection to the copilot’s attack.
Both the interviewer and Rajuan also suggest it’s suspicious that the two pilots who were aboard the flight and took control of the plane after the attack haven’t appeared publicly since the incident.
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