Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has said a pilot accused of stabbing his co-pilot and attempting to crash a Flydubai aircraft travelling from Dubai to Israel has been arrested and is being questioned by Saudi authorities.
In a statement following the incident, Netanyahu said that the confrontation occurred as the aircraft was approaching Israel, with one pilot allegedly stabbing the other before attempting to sabotage the plane’s systems.
The Boeing 737, operating as flight FZ 1073, was travelling from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv when the incident occurred, forcing it to divert to Tabuk Airport in north-western Saudi Arabia.
Netanyahu disclosed that he had spoken to one of the Israeli passengers on board, who recounted how the aircraft began spinning and descending during the incident.
According to the Israeli Prime Minister, the passenger and a member of the cabin crew managed to enter the cockpit and overpower the pilot accused of carrying out the stabbing as he allegedly attempted to interfere with the aircraft’s systems.
Another Flydubai crew member subsequently entered the cockpit and managed to stabilise the aircraft, preventing what Netanyahu described as a potential disaster.
The Israeli leader praised the passengers and crew members who intervened, describing their actions as courageous and instrumental in saving lives.
“I salute these heroes who demonstrated extraordinary resourcefulness and courage. They saved many lives and prevented a major disaster.”
Benjamin Netanyahu
He confirmed that the aircraft landed safely at Tabuk Airport and that all passengers were out of danger following the emergency landing.
Netanyahu also reiterated that the pilot accused of the stabbing had been arrested and was being questioned by Saudi authorities. However, the precise circumstances of the confrontation and the alleged attempt to bring down the aircraft remain subject to further investigation.
The incident prompted an emergency response from Israeli authorities after the aircraft transmitted distress signals while flying over Jordan. The signals, including one indicating possible unlawful interference, initially raised fears of a hijacking.
Israeli officials subsequently scrambled fighter jets amid concerns about the safety of the passengers, many of whom were Israeli nationals.
The aircraft’s reported sharp descent, during which it lost approximately 16,000 feet in two minutes, further heightened concerns before it diverted to Saudi Arabia.
The incident has since attracted considerable attention from Israeli authorities, particularly following allegations that the confrontation involved a deliberate attempt to crash the aircraft.
Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz described the incident as an attempted jihadist terror attack, saying preliminary indications suggest that one of the pilots intended to crash the aircraft and kill everyone on board.
Katz praised the Israeli passengers who intervened during the confrontation, crediting them with helping to overpower the pilot and prevent the aircraft from crashing.
His remarks followed Netanyahu’s account of the incident, which attributed the aircraft’s safe landing to the intervention of passengers and crew members who reportedly regained control of the cockpit.
Flydubai Urges Caution
However, Flydubai, the airline operating the aircraft, has urged caution over the circumstances and possible motives behind the incident, saying a formal investigation is required to establish what happened.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the airline confirmed that an altercation had occurred in the flight deck of flight FZ 1073, which was travelling from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport on September 30.
The airline said the aircraft was successfully secured by Flydubai crew members who were travelling on the flight. The crew subsequently diverted the aircraft to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.
Flydubai confirmed that all passengers and crew members were safe and accounted for following the incident.
The airline also announced that it had deployed two replacement aircraft to Tabuk to relieve the stranded passengers and crew members and facilitate their onward travel.
It added that the incident would not affect other scheduled flights across its network, indicating that its wider operations remained unaffected.
However, the airline cautioned against drawing conclusions about the confrontation before investigators had established the facts. “At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation,” the spokesperson said.
Flydubai also urged the public to refrain from premature speculation, emphasising that its immediate priority was the safety, health and well-being of everyone involved.
The airline’s statement came amid strong assertions from Israeli leaders about the alleged attempt to bring down the aircraft. While Netanyahu and Katz have described the incident as a deliberate attempt to crash the plane, Flydubai has not confirmed any motive, stressing that the investigation remains ongoing.
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