Passengers and crew members subdued a flydubai co-pilot who allegedly stabbed the captain and attempted to crash a Tel Aviv-bound passenger jet before the aircraft made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, Israeli officials said on Wednesday.
Flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with more than 170 Israeli passengers on board when a violent incident erupted in the cockpit over Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot attacked the captain before apparently attempting to bring down the aircraft. The suspected attacker, identified by an Israeli official as an Omani national, was arrested after the plane landed at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Flydubai confirmed that an altercation occurred on the flight deck but said the reasons behind the incident remained unknown and cautioned against premature speculation.
The Dubai-based carrier said crew members travelling on the aircraft helped secure the plane before it was diverted safely to Tabuk. All passengers and crew were accounted for.
According to Netanyahu, passengers and a crew member forced their way into the cockpit after the aircraft entered a steep descent and found the co-pilot attempting to interfere with the plane’s systems.
A spokesman for Netanyahu told Reuters that the wounded captain, who was bleeding on the cockpit floor, managed to release the cockpit door.
A second pair of flydubai pilots travelling aboard the aircraft to relieve the original crew then took control and landed the plane safely in Saudi Arabia.
Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft suddenly plunged nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before transmitting an emergency signal.
Flightradar24 said the aircraft subsequently transmitted both the international code for a general emergency and the code used to indicate unlawful interference aboard an aircraft.
Yasmin Abukasis, whose daughter Miriam was aboard the flight, said her daughter reported hearing screams before seeing a man armed with a knife force one of the pilots to the floor.
Israeli media circulated images purportedly taken inside the aircraft showing blood on passengers’ clothing, though Reuters said it could not independently verify the images.
Saudi authorities said both pilots were taken to hospital after the plane landed. Their conditions were not immediately clear.
Netanyahu described the episode as a serious security incident and said Saudi authorities would question the detained co-pilot.
Israel’s Transport Ministry said the incident would be investigated jointly with the country’s defence establishment, while Netanyahu ordered tighter security procedures for Israeli and foreign airlines operating flights to Israel.
The passengers remained in Saudi Arabia for about eight hours before departing for Israel aboard a replacement flydubai aircraft.
The motive for the attack remained unclear on Wednesday evening, and no independent finding had established whether it was an act of terrorism, a suicide attempt or another form of violence.
Flydubai has urged caution while investigations continue, saying confirmed information would be released as it becomes available.
The incident occurred on a busy route linking Dubai and Tel Aviv that has operated regularly since the United Arab Emirates and Israel established diplomatic relations in 2020.
Saudi Arabia does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel but permits some Israeli-linked commercial flights to use its airspace and has previously allowed Israel-bound aircraft to make emergency landings.
Israeli authorities said further security measures would be introduced following Wednesday’s incident as Saudi, Israeli and aviation officials investigate how the cockpit confrontation developed and what motivated the suspected attacker.
