Israeli authorities are investigating whether a violent clash between two pilots aboard a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv was an attempted attack on Israelis or a suicide attempt, among other possible explanations, according to Israeli officials.
The cause of the incident remains unclear. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other and “apparently attempted to crash the plane with its passengers on board.” He said passengers and crew intervened, helping to subdue the alleged attacker and prevent a disaster. The co-pilot was arrested after the aircraft landed, Netanyahu said. An Israeli official identified him as an Omani national.
Flydubai Flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when it sent distress signals and reversed course near the Saudi-Jordanian border. The aircraft made an emergency landing at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia at about 9:45 a.m. local time.
Flight-tracking data showed the plane suddenly lost nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before transmitting its first emergency signal. Netanyahu said a passenger and a crew member entered the cockpit after the aircraft began to dive and found the co-pilot trying to sabotage its systems. The two pilots were taken to hospital with injuries, according to Tabuk airport. All passengers were reported safe.
Israeli officials are examining whether the incident was an attempted attack or a suicide attempt. An Israeli official told Reuters that Israel’s current assessment was that it may have been an attempted terror attack, while a spokesperson for Netanyahu’s office said it was not believed to be a hijacking. The airline described the event as an “incident” and did not provide details about what happened in the cockpit.
The incident also left Israeli passengers temporarily stranded in Saudi Arabia, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel. Saudi Arabia declined an Israeli request to send military aircraft to collect them, according to two security sources cited by Reuters. Flydubai said passengers would continue their journey on one of its aircraft.
A second Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv later continued to Israel and landed safely. (Newswire)
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