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A pilot on a flight from Dubai to Israel stabbed his co-pilot and tried to hijack the plane in a suspected terrorist attack on Wednesday morning.
Blood-covered passengers described the terrifying ordeal after Flydubai Flight FZ1073 dramatically descended nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds, veering off course on Wednesday morning, FlightRadar data shows.
“We’re here during the hijacking of an airplane,” said one passenger with blood running down his face, in a video posted to social media and translated by The Times of Israel. “At this point we’ve subdued the terrorists, we’re approaching landing. Whoever is hearing me, we need help.”
Passengers were seen covered in blood on the plane (Israeli media)
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot has been arrested and interrogated by Saudi authorities, after stabbing the other pilot before allegedly trying to crash the plane.
If you or anyone you know have been impacted by this incident and would like to share your story, please email alex.croft@independent.co.uk
Israeli officials said cabin crew entered the cockpit and took control of the plane, preventing what authorities suspect was an attempted “terrorist attack”. The flight was landed in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk Airport.
Israeli defence minister Israeli Katz claimed the incident was a “jihadi terrorist attack attempt” in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
He said it 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”.
Yasmin Abu Kasis, whose daughter Miriam was on the flight, said that her daughter had told her that she had heard screaming and that a man took a knife, put the pilot on the floor, and that there was blood everywhere. Pictures shared on social media showed passengers with clothes covered in blood.
She said the pilot was calling for help as the plane started to lose control. “The plane start to lose control. So all the people, they scream, they think they are going,” she told the Associated Press.
FlyDubai Boeing 737 plane A6-FKF in Saudi Arabia missing its rudder after an attempted hijacking (Social media)
“Someone shouted ‘stabbing’ and my husband immediately understood what was happening and rushed to the front of the plane, and along with other Israelis they neutralized the terrorist,” Meital, a passenger whose husband was involved in the onboard brawl, told Israel’s Channel 12.
“There were stabbings and a lot of blood. We’re very emotional and under terrible stress, it’s very difficult for me to talk,” she adds.
Netanyahu said all passengers are out of danger and that Israel is in “close contact with the relevant authorities to ensure the continued safety of the passengers and their safe return to Israel”.
Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir said “a terrorist who planned to crash a plane and murder the 180 Israelis on board”, using the incident to call for continued military action in “Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, and Judea and Samaria [the West Bank”.
Passengers on FlyDubai flight applaud after flight is safely landed on diversion in Saudi Arabia after alleged attempted hijacking Israel (i24 Israel News)
A spokesperson for flydubai told The Independent that an “altercation occurred in the flight deck” before the aircraft was “secured by on-duty flydubai crew”.
Everyone onboard is safe and accounted for and will be picked up by two replacement aircraft that have been sent to Tabuk, it said, adding that the motives remain unknown and “subject to a formal investigation”.
A second flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, flight FZ1081, afterwards diverted and is heading back to Dubai, according to FlightRadar. It is unclear whether this was precautionary or the result of another incident.
Flightradar said an emergency call from the first flight was made declaring an “unlawful interference” at 05:38 UTC (6:38 BST).
This Flightradar24 map shows a flydubai flight to Israel which was diverted to Saudi Arabia (Flightradar24.com)
The Boeing 737 plane then again transmitted the general emergency signal before landing at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, the website said.
Tabuk Airport said both the pilot and the co-pilot were hospitalised after the plane landed, adding that it was coordinating with Flydubai to secure a replacement aircraft for the around 180 Israelis reported to have been on the flight.
Neyanyahu’s office earlier initially said in a statement that the incident was “under control” and not believed to have been a hijacking, adding that all efforts were being made to bring the Israeli passengers back to Israel.
Netanyahu, who earlier held security consultations on the incident, has cleared his schedule for the rest of the day to manage the crisis, an Israeli official said.
The UAE is yet to comment on the incident.
A Flightradar24 graph shows the dramatic and sudden drop in altitude on the plane (Flightradar24.com)
The prime minister on Sunday met with UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during a a rare visit to the Gulf country. Israel and the UAE have forged close security, military and economic ties since establishing diplomatic ties in 2020.
Earlier this year, Israel provided the UAE with Iron Dome air-defence systems and Israeli personnel to operate them, helping defend against Iranian attacks launched in retaliation for Israeli and US strikes on Iran.
It is not the first time a flight between Israel and the UAE has landed in Saudi Arabia. A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Riyadh in September 2025 due to a medical emergency, Israeli media reported at the time.
Flydubai operates daily flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv, a route that is popular among Israeli nationals. The Independent has contacted the airline for comment.