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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a pilot aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv stabbed the captain and then apparently tried to crash the aircraft, which was carrying more than 170 passengers.
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Netanyahu said the wounded captain managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to enter and overpower the alleged attacker as the aircraft reportedly went into a steep descent.
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The flight sent multiple emergency signals before diverting to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. The suspected attacker was arrested by Saudi authorities and is expected to face questioning over the incident.
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Netanyahu praised the passengers and crew who intervened, saying their actions prevented a major disaster, while Flydubai said the motive and circumstances surrounding the cockpit confrontation remain unknown and are subject to investigation.
September 30, (THEWILL) – A pilot aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv stabbed the captain and then apparently attempted to crash the aircraft with more than 170 people on board, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.
Netanyahu described the incident involving Flydubai Flight FZ1073 as a “highly severe security incident”, saying passengers and crew members intervened after the aircraft suddenly went into a steep descent.
The flight, which was carrying more than 170 passengers, including a large number of Israelis, was travelling from Dubai International Airport to Tel Aviv when the confrontation erupted in the cockpit.
According to Netanyahu, the pilot who was attacked, identified as Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, was stabbed but managed to fight back and open the cockpit door.
The prime minister said a passenger and a crew member then entered the cockpit and helped restrain the alleged attacker.
Netanyahu said a passenger had recounted that the aircraft had entered a tailspin and begun to dive, with the alleged attacker attempting to interfere with the aircraft’s systems.
“They saved many lives. They prevented a heavy disaster”, Netanyahu said in a video statement.
The aircraft transmitted three emergency signals during the incident, including one indicating possible unlawful interference, before it was diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft undergoing a dramatic descent. Reuters reported that the plane dropped nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before the first emergency signal was transmitted.
Other flight-tracking data showed a total descent of about 17,000 feet over a longer period as the emergency unfolded.
Israel scrambled fighter jets in response to the incident, while Netanyahu held security consultations as authorities assessed the situation.
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Despite the chaos, another set of pilots aboard the aircraft reportedly took over and landed the plane safely in Saudi Arabia.
A Netanyahu spokesman said the wounded captain, covered in blood and lying on the cockpit floor, had managed to activate the cockpit-door release, enabling passengers and crew to enter.
Saudi authorities arrested the alleged attacker after the plane landed. An Israeli official identified the suspect as an Omani national.
The passengers subsequently spent about eight hours in Saudi Arabia before continuing their journey to Israel aboard a replacement Flydubai aircraft.
Flydubai confirmed that an altercation had taken place in the flight deck and that its crew had safely landed the aircraft in Tabuk.
Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, described the episode as an attempted terror attack, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for Israel’s aviation security measures to be strengthened.
Transportation Minister, Miri Regev, also called for Flydubai flights to Israel to be suspended pending an investigation into the incident.
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