A commercial plane traveling from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Israel was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, briefly raising concerns about a possible hijacking and prompting Israel to scramble warplanes, reports the AP. Israeli media, citing security officials, said the incident stemmed from a fight between the plane’s two pilots; an Israeli source tells the Jerusalem Post that one of them was stabbed in an apparent attempt to take over the aircraft. The FlyDubai plane had transmitted an emergency alert, according to FlightRadar24, and then a second alert moments later that indicated possible unlawful interference, notes Reuters. Around two and a half hours after departing Dubai, it abruptly descended from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet within a minute, before making an erratic circle close to the Jordanian border and eventually landing in Tabuk about an hour later, per FlightRadar24.
A regional official briefed on the incident said a fight broke out in the cockpit and apparently involved pilots. It wasn’t immediately clear what had caused the fight. “The crew have been questioned as part of the investigation,” the official added, but did not say if anyone had been detained. An Israeli official said that Israel believes the incident may have been an attempt to attack Israelis, but the investigation is still ongoing. A third official confirmed that Israel had scrambled warplanes, fearing a hijacking of a plane carrying dozens of its citizens. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned in recent days of unspecified, escalated security threats. Netanyahu’s office said the situation was under control and Israel was working to bring the passengers home.
Passengers told Israel’s Ch 12 by phone that they heard shouts from those sitting more forward on the plane who heard the altercation between the pilots, and the plane dipped steeply before landing in Saudi Arabia. They also said that all the passengers are staying on the plane and that there is a heavy presence of Saudi security forces surrounding them. FlyDubai later confirmed that flight FZ 1073 en route to Ben Gurion experienced an incident and landed safely in Tabuk on Wednesday. “Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities,” the carrier said. “Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available.” Flight-tracking data indicated that the plane was a Boeing 737 Max 8.