Tel Aviv: A Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain in what Israeli officials described as a suspected attempted “terrorist attack”.
Three Israeli officials said the co-pilot was suspected of attacking the captain aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073. Cabin crew members reportedly entered the cockpit and took control of the Boeing 737 before the aircraft was diverted to Saudi Arabia while flying through Jordanian airspace.
One Israeli official identified the alleged attacker as an Omani national.
An official earlier told Reuters that the aircraft had sent emergency signals after a physical confrontation between the pilots. Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 data reportedly showed the aircraft suddenly losing around 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before the first emergency signal was sent.
The aircraft landed safely at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where both pilots were hospitalised with injuries. A video reportedly filmed by an Israeli passenger claimed that one pilot had suffered serious injuries while the other was injured less seriously.
Flightradar24 said the flight transmitted a general emergency signal followed by another signal indicating possible unlawful interference. It later transmitted another general emergency signal after landing. It was not immediately clear who sent the emergency signals.
Officials differ over nature of incident
Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, told Reuters after the landing that there were no indications the incident was a hijacking and described it as an “isolated incident”. He did not immediately comment on whether Israel was treating it as a terrorist incident.
However, Israeli officials, speaking to journalists on condition of anonymity, said Israel’s current assessment was that the incident was an attempted “terrorist attack” and was not related to any mental-health issue involving the pilots.
Officials in Oman and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Media reports about the incident have been conflicting. Some outlets reported that a pilot had allegedly attempted to crash the passenger aircraft in a suspected suicide attempt. Other Israeli media reports gave differing accounts of the pilots’ nationalities, including Omani and Emirati, while some reports said they were Russian and Ukrainian.
Passengers report panic inside aircraft
Yasmin Abukasis said her daughter, Miriam, who was among the passengers, heard screaming and saw a person holding a knife force one of the pilots to the floor. She reportedly described seeing blood inside the aircraft.
Israeli media also published an alleged photograph from inside the plane showing a passenger’s shirt covered in blood. Reuters said it could not immediately verify the photograph.
The aircraft reportedly carried around 150 Israeli passengers, according to Israeli media.
The incident prompted national security meetings in Israel and came amid heightened security concerns as Israelis head towards elections, with national security a prominent issue in the campaign.
Responding to the incident, far-right security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote on X that “terrorism is a devil that must not be compromised with.”
Flydubai operates daily flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv, a route popular among Israeli travellers. The flight route normally uses Saudi and Jordanian airspace.
