EXCLUSIVE TESTIMONY OF THE HERO OF THE SCOTTISH DRAMA FOR KURIR
The courage of one man prevented a possible catastrophe on EasyJet flight U2609 from Luton to Glasgow, when passenger Zoran Nasteski, a Serbian national, managed to overpower a man who threatened to blow up the plane!
The incident, which occurred on Sunday 27 July, ended in an emergency landing of the Airbus A319, but thanks to Nasteski, the passengers were unharmed.
In a dramatic video circulating on social media, the moment is captured when the attacker shouts: “I wanted to send a message to Trump… he’s in Scotland,” before threatening the shocked passengers with a bomb.
A Serbian curse word echoed around the world
In the following seconds, Zoran reacted decisively, stood up from his seat, hurled himself at the frenzied passenger and pinned him to the floor of the aircraft.
As he did so, he blurted out, “You f****** motherf*****” in Serbian, which later sparked cheers and admiration worldwide once the footage was posted online.
“I was travelling to Glasgow by plane to visit a friend, but things took a turn. During the flight, a man got up with some coffee in his hands and headed towards the rear of the plane, towards the toilet. He passed me, and ten seconds later he began shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’, ‘Death to America’, and anti-Trump messages,” recounts Zoran Nasteski in a breathless exclusive for Kurir.
We found him camping with friends in Scotland. He immediately agreed to speak with us. Originally from the village of Markovac, he was born in Skopje and has been living in the UK for many years.
“My father was Macedonian, my mother was Serbian. I’ve been living near London for about ten years.”
The drama had only just begun
He says the drama truly began when he brought the crazed passenger down between the rows of seats.
“The man, most likely of Indian descent, said he had a bomb and that he was going to detonate it. When I heard that, I didn’t think for even a second—I reacted completely instinctively, because I saw that the people around him were in shock and extremely frightened. Another passenger also got up and stood on the man’s legs, telling him not to move them, after which questioning began. The flight attendants were terrified and immediately informed the pilot of what was happening, after which the procedure for an emergency landing at Glasgow Airport was initiated,” explains Zoran.
His heroic act immediately drew public attention, with praise pouring in from all sides. Leading global media outlets—from the US, Asia and Australia—ran stories of Zoran’s actions as headline news.
“I received praise from the captain and from people nearby, but I truly don’t need any thanks. This wasn’t any kind of heroic act—it was simply a normal, human reaction,” says the modest Nasteski, adding a poignant message from his Scottish campsite for Kurir’s readers:
“Less stress—love each other, respect each other, and enjoy life!”
In custody
When the plane landed in Glasgow at around 8:20 a.m. local time, officers from Police Scotland were already waiting on the tarmac.
The aircraft was directed to a parking area, and then police officers boarded and arrested the suspect (41). Throughout the landing and the entire time, Zoran never let go of the frenzied passenger.
The man was taken into custody, and the police confirmed that counterterrorism officers are reviewing video footage to better understand the suspect’s intent and whether there are elements of an attempted terrorist attack.
Sister Danijela: ‘That’s my big brother!’
In an attempt to contact Zoran, Kurir also spoke with his sister Danijela from Markovac, who was unaware of her brother’s heroic act.
“I can’t believe what he did, I can’t catch my breath. You’ve completely shocked me, but yes, that does sound like my big brother. I thought he was in Turkey, but now that I’ve seen the videos, I’m truly speechless. He’s always been clever, intelligent, but also hot-tempered. But I never imagined he was capable of such a heroic move,” Zoran’s sister told us.
Disgraceful
No praise from EasyJet
“The EasyJet crew is trained to assess all situations and respond swiftly and appropriately to ensure that flight safety and the safety of other passengers are never compromised. The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew are always the airline’s top priority,” the company told the British media, without once mentioning that a Serbian man and a Briton subdued the frenzied passenger.
According to statements from passengers on the plane, the detained man had previously pushed flight attendants, so there’s no suggestion that the crew took any action themselves.
