Netanyahu Hails Heroes After Flydubai Cockpit Attack

• Flydubai flight makes emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
• Co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain during the flight
• Passengers and crew members helped regain control of the aircraft
• Israeli officials investigate the alleged attack and its motive

By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday thanked the heroes who demonstrated extraordinary courage and averted a major disaster after the co-pilot of a Tel Aviv-bound Flydubai flight stabbed the captain to wrest control of the plane in an alleged bid to crash it with all passengers, mostly Israelis, on board.

In a video statement after the incident, Netanyahu said, “During the flight, as they were approaching Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and, apparently, tried to crash the plane with its passengers on board.”

Netanyahu said that he spoke with one of the Israeli passengers, who told him that the plane went into a spin and began to descend.

“He told me that, somehow, he managed to break into the cockpit with one of the crew members and, together, they overpowered the pilot who had carried out the stabbing while he was attempting to sabotage the aircraft’s systems,” the Israeli PM said.

Another air crew who was on the plane in civilian clothes entered the cockpit and managed to stabilize the aircraft, which subsequently made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk.

“I salute these heroes who demonstrated extraordinary resourcefulness and courage. They saved many lives and prevented a major disaster,” he added.

The co-pilot who carried out the stabbing was arrested and is currently being questioned by the Saudi authorities.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, in a statement, said that the co-pilot of the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight allegedly stabbed the pilot in a suspected attempt to crash the aircraft, called it a “jihadist terrorist attack attempt”.

“The grave incident on the Flydubai plane was a jihadist terrorist attack attempt, which was thwarted only thanks to the bravery of several Israeli passengers who broke into the cockpit, overpowered the terrorist and, with their own hands, restored control of the plane to another flight crew who was present there,” Katz said in the statement.

According to the initial information, Katz said, the terrorist had one intention to crash the plane with all its passengers.

The co-pilot of the plane allegedly stabbed the captain in a bid to wrest control of the plane, with officials investigating whether he intended to crash the plane as part of a pre-planned terror plot.

In a bone-chilling incident, a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk after a failed mid-air attempt to hijack the plane and allegedly crash it in an act of terrorism, Israeli media reported on Wednesday.

Some of the passengers overpowered the co-pilot, while two pilots in civilian clothes took control of the cockpit and made the emergency landing.

All the passengers were safely evacuated and the injured captain was shifted to a medical facility for treatment.

The Tel Aviv-bound flight 1073 carrying a reported 180 passengers, including a significant number of Israelis, departed Dubai and climbed to an altitude of 34,000 feet.

Several videos from the plane shot by passengers captured the chaos inside as the flight witnessed a sudden drop in altitude.

One of the videos, shot moments after the cockpit attack, showed the captain covered in blood on the floor of the aircraft just outside the cockpit.

A second crewmember, the accused co-pilot, was seen tied up beside him.

One of the passengers is heard saying, “We were attacked and are guarding the pilot.” Another added: “They tried to murder the pilot. We subdued [the attacker].”

Someone pointed to the bound man and said: “This is the man who… stabbed him [the captain].”

In another video, a person is heard saying, “We’re here during the hijacking of an airplane. At this point we’ve subdued the terrorists, we’re approaching the landing. Whoever is hearing me, we need help.”

A passenger’s chilling first-hand account from the Flydubai flight

Two off-duty pilots travelling as passengers reportedly stepped in to help land the Boeing 737 MAX 8 safely

“Those responsible had been overpowered, the pilot was injured and everyone else onboard was

“We’re landing in Tabuk, apparently in Saudi Arabia. An unknown, unfamiliar area. On the plane, everybody is safe and sound, other than the pilot. We need help.”

Israeli authorities are in contact with their Saudi counterparts and arrangements were reportedly being discussed to bring back the stranded passengers.