Israeli officials are investigating whether a violent confrontation aboard a flight from the United Arab Emirates to Israel was an attempted “terror attack” carried out by one of the pilots, after the aircraft diverted to Saudi Arabia while broadcasting emergency signals.
Two Israeli officials said the co-pilot was believed to have stabbed the captain before cabin crew members entered the cockpit and seized control of the plane.
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An Israeli official had earlier told Reuters that the emergency signals were transmitted after the pilots became involved in a physical fight.
As the aircraft approached Saudi Arabia, Doron Spielman, a spokesman for the Israeli prime minister’s office, told Reuters that officials did not believe it was a hijacking, calling it a “different incident”.
The two officials, who spoke anonymously while briefing reporters, said Israel’s current assessment was that the episode amounted to an attempted “terror attack”. They said there was no indication that either pilot’s actions were connected to a mental health issue.
A passenger gave a more detailed account, saying one pilot attacked the other and attempted to crash the aircraft, potentially killing everyone on board.
Miryam Shira Ohayon said the aircraft was “pretty much out of control” when the stabbing occurred over Jordan, along the route from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
“The co-pilot tried to murder the pilot and basically carry out a suicide attack on the plane,” she told reporters by speakerphone, with her mother holding the device at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv.
“It was really on the way to crashing, and it was simply the resourcefulness of many people who took control of the co-pilot and neutralised him,” she said.
“There was also a doctor who gave first aid, and people who treated both of them. Other than the pilot, there were no injuries, but the bigger fear was really a crash, which is exactly what he was trying to do.”
Ohayon’s mother, Yasmin Abukasis, said her daughter had been travelling to attend a service for her brother, who was killed in the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023.
Her daughter “thought they were going to die”, Ms Abukasis told AFP, saying one woman “went to the (cockpit) and saw a lot of blood”.
She said two additional pilots were aboard the aircraft and assumed control, directing it to Saudi Arabia.
He did not immediately respond to a further request for comment on whether Israel was treating the incident as a terror incident.
The two officials, who spoke anonymously while briefing reporters, said Israel’s current assessment was that the episode amounted to an attempted “terror attack” and was not linked to a mental health issue involving either pilot.
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Flight plummeted before steadying again, tracking data shows
A video said to show an Israeli passenger aboard the flydubai flight was widely circulated by Israeli media. In it, the passenger said one of the pilots had suffered serious injuries and the other minor injuries after one pilot was stabbed.
Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia, where the plane landed safely, said both pilots had been taken to hospital after sustaining injuries. Neither the airport nor the purported Israeli passenger identified who carried out the attack.
Flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, diverted to Saudi Arabia while crossing Jordanian airspace. It first issued a general emergency signal, followed by another signal indicating possible unlawful interference, according to the flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
The Boeing 737, which Israeli media reported was carrying about 150 Israeli passengers, later transmitted the initial general emergency signal again before landing at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, the website said.
Flightradar24 said the aircraft’s tracking data appeared to show a sudden descent of nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before the first emergency signal was sent.
It was not immediately known who transmitted the emergency signals.
Conflicting reports appear in media, Israel holds security consultations
Israeli media offered conflicting accounts, with some outlets saying a pilot had attempted to crash the passenger aircraft in what they described as a possible suicide attempt.
Some Israeli news organisations identified the pilots as Omani and Emirati nationals, while others reported that they were Russian and Ukrainian.
The incident prompted national security consultations in Israel, which has no official diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia, the country where the aircraft landed.
In a statement, the Israeli prime minister’s office said the situation was “under control” and that every effort was being made to return the Israeli passengers to Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had earlier convened security consultations, cancelled the rest of his schedule to oversee the crisis, an Israeli official said.
Media and passengers gather at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv after the flight was diverted to Saudi Arabia
Mr Netanyahu met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Sunday during a rare visit to the Gulf state.
Israel and the UAE have developed close security, military and economic ties since establishing diplomatic relations in 2020.
Earlier this year, Israel supplied the UAE with Iron Dome air-defence systems and Israeli personnel to operate them, helping protect the country from Iranian attacks launched in retaliation for Israeli and US strikes on Iran.
The UAE has not commented on the incident. The Dubai-owned airline said only that the flight had experienced an “incident” and diverted to Tabuk, where it landed safely, adding that all passengers were safe and accounted for.
