A second plane later took the stranded passengers to their destination in Israel – Image: Jack Guez/AFP
An Indian pilot was stabbed by his copilot on Wednesday in a failed attempt to crash a Flydubai plane that was bound for Israel.
After he was stabbed, Captain Smit Machchhar opened the cockpit in time for other passengers to intervene and the plane was ultimately able to land safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said that “an attempted jihadist terror attack” had been thwarted after several passengers subdued the copilot.
Flydubai confirmed that all passengers were safe. It later announced it had suspended flights to and from Israel amid an ongoing investigation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has now ordered authorities to “ramp up” security on both Israeli and non-Israeli carriers following the Flydubai flight incident.
Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayoun intervened in the cockpit altercation – Image: Tomer Appelbaum/AP Photo/picture alliance
Flydubai plane passengers return to Israel
On Wednesday evening, passengers from the diverted Flydubai flight arrived in Israel on a replacement plane, where numerous relatives were waiting for them.
Netanyahu also met with some of the passengers. A video posted to Netanyahu’s X account showed him at the Tel Aviv airport meeting a man called Yaniv Hayoun who still had blood on his shirt after the midflight altercation.
The video described Yaniv as one of the passengers who entered the aircraft’s cockpit.
Later, Netanyahu named the Indian pilot who was injured in an altercation with his co-pilot, who allegedly attempted to crash the Flydubai flight.
“My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery. Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster,” Netanyahu wrote on social media.
“He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals.”
The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said Machchhar is in stable condition and is being treated in a Tabuk hospital after an emergency landing.
Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister said that he spoke with his UAE counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“Mutual determination was expressed to strengthen relations between the countries on all levels and to collaborate against extremist elements seeking to harm security and undermine stability in the region,” Saar wrote on X.
Saar also spoke with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul over the phone.
Wadephul said that he strongly condemned the incident as a serious attack on civil aviation. He added that his thoughts were with those who survived the flight and with those who feared for the lives of their loved ones. Wadephul also said that the circumstances surrounding the incident must be clarified quickly and thoroughly.
Later, US President Donald Trump announced he had discussed the Flydubai flight incident with Netanyahu. Trump said Netanyahu told him an Israeli plumber had helped prevent the aircraft from crashing.
“I did speak to Bibi Netanyahu at length about this event, and it seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack-job, and he stabbed the pilot,” Trump told reporters.
What happened on the Flydubai flight?
Flydubai said flight FZ 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv experienced an “incident” while en route and landed safely in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The aircraft was a Boeing 737 MAX 8.
“The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk Airport and all passengers are safe and accounted for,” a Flydubai spokesperson said.
Later, a Flydubai spokesperson said that the reasons for an altercation that “occurred in the flight deck of flight FZ 1073” remained unknown and were under formal investigation.
“At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation.
We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts,” a spokesperson said in a statement published by the AFP news agency.
Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 initially showed a second Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, FZ1081, diverting back toward Dubai. It later showed the aircraft continuing toward Tel Aviv. There was no immediate explanation for the change.
The plane managed to land safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, where passengers waited for a replacement flight – Image: REUTERS
How far did the plane fall?
The Israeli news portal Ynet reported that the aircraft entered a steep descent and that passengers helped one pilot prevent the other from crashing the plane.
Flight tracking data shows the aircraft suddenly losing around half its altitude as it neared Saudi Arabia’s border with Jordan.
The plane dropped from nearly 34,000 feet (10,360 meters) at 05:21 GMT/UTC to below 17,000 feet (5,180 meters) at 05:22 GMT/UTC, according to Flightradar data.
Israel’s Kan public broadcaster and Channel 12 reported that the Israeli military scrambled fighter jets amid initial fears of a possible hijacking. That possibility was later dismissed, according to the reports.
Israeli minister says ‘attempted jihadist terror attack’ thwarted
Israeli leaders announced that a “jihadist” pilot had attempted to crash a Flydubai plane carrying mostly Israeli passengers.
In a video message, Netanyahu said that “during the flight… one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot, and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board.”
He added that passengers and crew subdued the attacker, and the plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, where the pilot was arrested.
The replacement flight eventually brought the passengers to Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport – Image: Ammar Awad/REUTERS
“I salute these heroes who showed exceptional resourcefulness and courage. They saved many lives and prevented a major disaster,” Netanyahu said.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the incident as “an attempted jihadist terror attack” that was “thwarted only thanks to the heroism of several Israeli passengers.”
Earlier, Netanyahu’s office said he had held consultations over the incident and was monitoring developments.
“The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel,” his office said.
An unnamed senior Israeli government official told Channel 12 that a major disaster had been averted.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Foreign Ministry informed its diplomats that the incident was “an attempted terrorist attack against Israelis, the United Arab Emirates, and the Abraham Accords.”
DW.com/NAN 01-10-26
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