One pilot 'stabbed the other' and 'apparently tried to crash' Israel-bound plane, Netanyahu says
Passengers and crew subdued the attacker as the plane plunged nearly 14,000 feet, and Saudi authorities detained the co-pilot, officials said.
- On Wednesday, September 30, 2026, Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after a violent cockpit incident involving a stabbing and sudden altitude loss.
- Israeli officials allege an Omani co-pilot stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, and attempted to crash the aircraft, though Flydubai describes the event as an 'altercation' between pilots.
- Flightradar24 data shows the Boeing 737 MAX 8 dropped from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet while transmitting emergency codes 7700 and 7500, before passengers and crew intervened to neutralize the attacker.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reported that Saudi authorities arrested the co-pilot, while injured pilots were hospitalized and Israeli warplanes briefly scrambled over hijacking fears.
- Authorities are increasing security scrutiny for Israel-bound flights, while pragmatic aviation cooperation between Israel and Saudi Arabia—which lack formal diplomatic ties—enabled the emergency landing.
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A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Israel made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain.
Netanyahu says FlyDubai pilots prevented a "9/11 disaster"
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed new details about a FlyDubai flight bound for Israel during which a pilot stabbed a colleague, sending the plane spiraling thousands of feet.The big picture: Netanyahu told CNN Wednesday evening that the Indian pilot who was stabbed, Capt. Smit Machchhar, unlocked the cockpit after being attacked and an Israeli passenger who works as a plumber, Yaniv Hayun, entered and found the Omani pilot appa…
‘A Nation Like a Lion’—Israeli Airline Passenger Heroics Avert Jihadist Terrorist Attack
In early 2024 the band Hatikva 6 released a song that captured the spirit of Israel as it responded to the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack. "Everyone looks so ordinary but … We're a nation of superheroes. In each and every one hides a soldier ready to save the world," it says. The post ‘A Nation Like a Lion’—Israeli Airline Passenger Heroics Avert Jihadist Terrorist Attack appeared first on .
Israel PM hails Indian pilot for averting disaster
Israel's leader credited the Indian pilot of a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, as well as the aircraft's passengers, with averting catastrophe on Wednesday after the man was attacked by his co-pilot, sparking a fight for control of the aircraft and forcing an emergency landing. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot of the flydubai jet had been trying to crash it and kill all its passengers, with Israel's foreign ministry denouncing the inci…
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