Still wearing a bloodstained shirt, Yaniv Hayoun described to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday how he rushed into the cockpit of a FlyDubai flight, helped overpower a co-pilot accused of stabbing the captain and briefly grabbed the aircraft’s controls as the plane was in rapid descent.

Hayoun — who, along with the other passengers on board, had just touched down in Israel after making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia and was immediately invited to meet with the prime minister — said he entered the cockpit after hearing screams and found the wounded captain as well as the co-pilot attempting to destroy the controls. He pulled the suspected attacker away and called on other passengers to help restrain him before returning to the cockpit.

With the aircraft still descending, Hayoun said he pulled back on the controls in an effort to stabilize the plane until another pilot traveling aboard the flight took over. Asked by Netanyahu how he knew what to do, Hayoun pointed to an unlikely source: “Air Crash Investigation,” the series chronicling aviation disasters.

The incident, which Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called a “jihadist terrorist attack attempt,” captured worldwide attention as an example of the danger everyday Israelis face from terrorism, as well as their heroism and resilience. 

Despite being seriously injured, Capt. Smit Machchhar, an Indian national with 13 years of experience as a pilot, was reported to be in stable condition by the Indian Embassy in Riyadh later on Wednesday. Netanyahu hailed him as a “true hero” who had “saved the lives of 174 people” aboard. One passenger was also lightly injured and treated by Magen David Adom after returning to Israel.

The incident quickly prompted a security response in Israel, with Netanyahu holding briefings and ordering heightened checks on pilots flying into the country. The new measures will include verifying the identities of pilots aboard both Israeli and foreign carriers, according to the Prime Minister’s Office. 

The prime minister spoke with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed and later with President Donald Trump as Israeli officials continued to assess the attack and its implications for aviation security. Trump said Netanyahu briefed him at length on the incident and described the co-pilot as “perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack-job.” He also praised Hayoun, noting that he is a plumber by trade. “I think it’s the most amazing story,” Trump said.

FlyDubai, meanwhile, temporarily suspended flights to Israel while the incident remains under investigation. El Al said it expects to resume service between Tel Aviv and Dubai in November, while Arkia and Israir are also preparing to return to Dubai after the UAE agreed to Israeli security requirements which had been preventing Israeli carriers from restarting after suspending flights during the Iran war.