“During the flight, as they were approaching Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and, apparently, tried to crash the plane with its passengers on board,” Netanyahu said in a video statement released by his office.
“I spoke with one of the Israeli passengers, he told me that the plane went into a spin and began to descend,” Netanyahu continued. “He told me that, somehow, he managed to break into the cockpit with one of the crew members and, together, they overpowered the pilot who had carried out the stabbing.”
Flightradar24 data showed the aircraft plunged nearly 14,000 feet within 30 seconds during the incident.
Netanyahu praised the actions of those who intervened, calling them “heroes” who had “demonstrated extraordinary resourcefulness” and “saved many lives.”
Flydubai issued a statement confirming the aircraft had been “successfully secured by on-duty Flydubai crew travelling on the flight” and relaying that all passengers and crew are safe and accounted for.