US President Donald Trump dedicated a special video overnight to Yaniv, the Israeli who helped subdue of the co-pilot who attempted to hijack the FlyDubai flight, praising him for his role in saving the aircraft and its passengers. The video was posted on Trump’s TikTok account, accompanied by the short message: "Thank you, Yaniv!"
"I just want to thank and congratulate Yaniv Hayun who's an Israeli plumber, and he's a Trump fan. I'm a fan of his, a big fan. He saved that flight yesterday. He did an amazing job. He got in there, and he learned how to fly by watching air disasters on television. And he's my kind of guy. He could be my plumber. He could be whatever he wants to be. That's what a job he did. He's a hero. And I want to just congratulate him and his family. You like me, and I like you."
Yaniv, 38, from Ness Ziona, works as a plumber and was among the passengers on the flight in which the hijacking attempt took place. Together with additional Israelis, Tzvika Ness, Asaf Rajuan, and dentist Dr. Shota Musaev, he helped subdue the co-pilot. Musaev treated the captain after he was stabbed.
During the incident, it was Yaniv who succeeded in stabilizing the aircraft despite the damage the hijacker had done to the instrument panel. He later said that his familiarity with the aviation world came from extensive viewing of a series about disasters and aviation investigations.