This is not to disparage what they did. They were heroes. They were trying to get control of the plane to save themselves from certain death.
For those who live in a fantasy world and have these Walter Mitty moments thinking how heoric they would have been, it is a bit nauseating. I have experienced a real life situation of being captured by armed intruders. Self-preservation is a very powerful instinct.
Good post.
Some of the self delusion and absurd statements in this thread reflect such a detachment from reality its not even funny.
1. First explosion was smoke bomb / tear gas. Shock and Awe, concealment, dehbilitation, etc.
2. Wall of bullets of flying from the bottom up. Are you going to rush the guy down the steps while everyone is racing in the opposite direction and have .00001% chance of not getting hit? No.
3. Those closest to him were probably first killed and suffering effects of tear gas and immediately shot.
4. Guy is dressed in black in a dark theatre. Hard to make him out in the chaos.
5. Guy is covered in body armour. 9mm, unless place perfect shot to the face, does little or nothing most likely, even if you hit him. And he is shooting back w unlimited ammo
6. Most people never ever been in said situation and never experience “adreneline dump”
7. Tackle the guy? LOL. a 24 y/o a 2 glocks, AR, and a shotgun and body armour is not going down unless three or four guys at the same time take him down. Again - how would that have been possible without a few waves of suicide rushers?
FYI - I have a third degree BB in two arts, have firearms training etc, and know full well that if I was in that situation, my training would have served little or no purpose due to the above factors.
I immediately jumped to the other side of a large column I was sitting next to (getting cover is always important).
Next thing you know a German undercover cop close to the gunman had pried it away from him and was holding it overhead while others "pummeled the gunman".
That's how fast things happen. The adrenalin rush came later.
RE: I have experienced a real life situation of being captured by armed intruders. Self-preservation is a very powerful instinct.
As have I, and it was. No harm was occuring and I was 16 then. Even then, I was thinking. It is not wasted to consider, even if it never happens