Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused a Flydubai co-pilot of attempting to crash a Tel Aviv-bound flight, leading to an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on September 30, with the co-pilot interrogated and the captain hailed as a hero after being stabbed in the cockpit.
Cockpit Altercation and Emergency Landing
Miryam Shira Ohayon, a passenger, recounted the co-pilot trying to murder the pilot and carry out a suicide attack on the plane,
while Almog Italie compared the turbulence to a roller coaster.
The aircraft, which lost contact with air traffic control for a period, was diverted to Tabuk Airport at 9.45am (2.45pm, Singapore time), where the co-pilot was arrested and the captain hospitalized with serious injuries. Flydubai labeled the incident an altercation in the cockpit
and suspended flights to and from Israel pending investigation.
A passenger, Yaniv Hayun, entered the cockpit and helped regain control, later embracing Netanyahu at Ben Gurion Airport while still wearing a bloodstained shirt. The airline confirmed the incident involved diverted and landed the aircraft safely,
though details about the pilots’ nationalities remained unclear. Saudi authorities described the event as a security incident that was brought under control.
Israeli Security Measures and Unanswered Questions
Netanyahu announced plans to vet all pilots flying into Israel, stating, Every pilot that is going to be flying into Israel, we are going to know the pilots’ identities, know who they are, and do some type of security check.
The Israeli Defence Minister called the incident an attempted jihadist terror attack,
though no motive was confirmed. U.S. President Donald Trump, citing an Israeli plumber
who intervened, claimed the co-pilot stabbed the pilot
and that the plane was going sharply down at an unbelievable angle.
The incident left many questions unresolved. While Netanyahu and Israeli officials framed the co-pilot as a potential terrorist, Straitstimes reported that no official motive was established, and Aljazeera noted the co-pilot remained unidentified. The pilots’ nationalities—reported by some Israeli media as Omani and Emirati—were not confirmed by the airline or authorities. Flydubai suspended flights to Israel, with the UAE’s aviation regulator stating the incident was brought under control.
The captain, Smit Machchhar, was hospitalized in stable condition, while the co-pilot faced interrogation in Saudi Arabia.