Airport Employee Rescued from Knife-Wielding Assailant by Brave Bystander

On March 7, an unknown man grabbed a young airport employee woman by the hair, shouted threats, and brought the knife to the young woman's face.

She was saved by Musa Abdraim, who was seeing his friend off to the flight. The 53-year-old man disarmed the man and saved the young woman.

Orda has spoken with the hero Musa Abdraim.

When asked if he was afraid, Musa Abdraim explained his concern was for the young woman's safety. He didn't consider the potential danger to himself. 

I was afraid he would stab her, Musa Abdraim answered briefly.

The video from the airport shows Musa Abdraim moving with considerable coordination.

Yes, I did sports in the past. Boxing, martial arts, Thai boxing, kickboxing. But that was a long time ago, Musa said.

Musa mentioned that everything happened quickly, and he's still processing the event. The employee he helped is Botagoz Mukhtarova; she is 21 years old. She was conducting security searches at the airport that day.

Musa Abdraim said he's been receiving many calls. He has been informed about Toqayev's instruction to award Musa Abdraim a state award for his bravery.

Abdraim was at the airport to see off friends. This was his first encounter with an armed person. He expressed relief that no one was injured.

The Almaty Transport Police Department stated the following: 

On March 7, officers of the linear police department at the Almaty airport detained a man who, having entered the inspection zone, grabbed an inspector by the hair and threatened her with a kitchen knife. The police officers, with the help of the airport security service and the citizen accompanying him, disarmed the assailant and took him to the police area. During the investigation, it was established that he was a 67-year-old resident of Almaty. A criminal case has been opened on this fact. An investigation is underway.

On March 7 at approximately 11:45, in the pre-flight inspection area of the domestic terminal (T1) of the Almaty airport, a man attacked a female employee.

When asked for identification, he became aggressive and produced a knife. 

Meanwhile, the Almaty Police Department reported that the man detained had previously assaulted a female bus passenger last autumn. He was angered because the woman was speaking loudly.

Witnesses recorded the incident on video.

The Almaty City Police Department confirms that the same person is involved in both cases. As previously reported, after the bus incident, the police department of the Almaly District Police Department opened a criminal case, the deparment commented.

Later, details emerged that police had unsuccessfully negotiated with the aggressor.

I was seeing my friend off and was about to leave. At that moment, I heard a scream. Everyone ran toward it and so did I. Police officers approached and tried to calm him down, but he became even more aggressive. One of the officers asked him to release the girl. But he replied that the officer should trade places with the hostage, said Musa Abdraim.

 Musa Abdraim realized that the police officer couldn't become a hostage — because he had a service weapon.

But how could he go? The police officer and I exchanged glances. I signaled that he shouldn't approach him. Then I offered myself, and he agreed. He grabbed me with his left hand while holding the knife in his right. He was standing calmly. Police were distracting him with conversation. The first thing I thought about was removing the knife. At that moment, I noticed his hand relaxed and immediately tried to grab him.

Original Author: Alexandra Mokhireva