A passenger on budget Wizz Air Flight W9 4452 enroute to London from Tel Aviv prevented what could have been a catastrophe on Monday when he tackled a crazed fellow passenger who yelled “Allahu Akbar” (the Arabic war cry, “God is Great”) as he tried to open the emergency door while the flight was aloft.
The flight made an emergency landing in Belgrade, Serbia, following the incident.
Albanian citizen Victor Troboloni, 45, told The Sun that he grabbed the unidentified attacker and held him down, together with other passengers, while members of the crew zip-tied his hands.
“I saw him going up and down [the aisle], maybe looking for weak points on the aircraft … checking seat numbers,” the engineer on the plane reportedly said.
Trobloni said he and other passengers held the would-be terrorist for 10 ten minutes until crew members zip-tied his hands. “He was tied up for 45 minutes to an hour before we landed in Belgrade,” he said.
“The safety and security of passengers and crew are the company’s top priority,” the airline said in a statement. “The company regrets the inconvenience caused by this unexpected incident.”
Officials said they did not know the motive for the attack, nor whether the suspect was affiliated with any terrorist organizations.
