The co-pilot of a Flydubai passenger plane allegedly stabbed the captain and tried to crash the aircraft as it approached Israel, before being restrained by passengers and crew, officials have said.
The flight, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was forced to make an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after the captain fought off the attack long enough to open the cockpit door. Two off-duty pilots aboard the aircraft then helped take control.
All 174 people on board survived, with no passengers seriously injured. The captain suffered stab wounds, while Saudi authorities said two crew members were hospitalised with unspecified injuries.
Flydubai co-pilot’s identity and motive remain unclear
The co-pilot has not been publicly identified. An Omani official said he was born in Oman and currently held Omani citizenship, although the Omani government has not publicly confirmed his nationality.
He was arrested immediately and was initially questioned by Saudi authorities. Saudi Arabia later said he had been transferred to the United Arab Emirates, where he is expected to face further questioning.
The motive for the alleged attack remains unknown. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the incident appeared “like a suicide attempt”, citing accounts that the co-pilot had tried to interfere with the aircraft’s equipment rather than stabilise the plane.
Mr Netanyahu also said the co-pilot shouted for someone to kill him after passengers had subdued him. In a separate interview, he claimed that personal information gathered during the investigation indicated the man had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination”, but provided no further detail.
Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, described the incident as “an attempted jihadist terror attack”. A security official said investigators were examining whether it could have been an attempted September 11-style attack and whether the co-pilot had acted alone.
President Trump said the co-pilot might be linked to Iran, “based on what I’m hearing”. Mr Netanyahu, however, said it was “too early to say” whether Iran was involved.
Mr Netanyahu said Israeli authorities would join the questioning to establish what had happened. A senior Israeli official said the UAE president, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, had personally told Mr Netanyahu that he expected Saudi authorities to transfer the co-pilot to the Emirates.
