ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN — Panic swept through the domestic terminal of Almaty International Airport when an armed assailant seized a 21-year-old female security officer, holding a kitchen knife to her throat and threatening to detonate a bomb. The seven-minute standoff ended not with a police tactical strike, but with the intervention of a 52-year-old former boxer who offered his own life to save the young woman.

The Attack at the Checkpoint
The chaos began at approximately 11:45 a.m. at a security checkpoint. A 67-year-old man, later identified as Mashrapbek Baratov, became aggressive after being asked for his identification.

The Hostage: Baratov grabbed security officer Botagoz Mukhtarova by the hair and pulled her to the ground.

The Threat: Holding a knife to her face, he claimed his backpack contained a bomb that he could detonate using a “button” on his old mobile phone.

The Hero: Musa Abdraim
As police attempted to negotiate, Musa Abdraim, a former professional boxer who was at the airport to see off a friend, realized the situation was deteriorating. Abdraim stepped forward and made a daring offer: he would take the officer’s place as a hostage.

Shockingly, the attacker agreed. As Baratov released the terrified woman and reached for Abdraim, the former boxer used his training to strike:

The Swap: Abdraim moved into the attacker’s reach.

The Takedown: The moment the attacker’s grip loosened, Abdraim grabbed the knife by the blade and wrestled the man to the ground.
The Subdual: Airport security and police immediately swarmed the area to handcuff the suspect.

National Recognition
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev later awarded Musa Abdraim the “Yerligi Ushin” (For Bravery) medal. Abdraim, a father of five, remained humble, stating: “I thought, ‘What if it’s my daughter?’ It was my duty as a man.”

Legal Consequences
Investigators determined the “bomb” was a hoax, but the trauma for the staff was very real. Baratov, who reportedly had a history of aggression and claimed to be suffering from old brain injuries, faced charges of hostage-taking and terrorism threats, carrying a potential sentence of up to 12 years in prison.