Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has alleged that a pilot aboard a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv attempted to crash the aircraft after attacking his fellow pilot, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
The incident occurred on Wednesday as the aircraft, carrying 174 passengers, including 166 Israelis, was travelling towards Israel.
All passengers were reported safe after the plane was diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
According to Netanyahu, one of the pilots stabbed the other while the aircraft was flying over Jordan and then allegedly attempted to bring down the plane.
In a video message, the Israeli prime minister said an Israeli passenger managed to enter the cockpit after the aircraft began a steep descent and fought with the pilot allegedly attempting to crash the plane.
Netanyahu praised the passengers involved, describing their actions as courageous and saying they had prevented what could have been a major disaster.
Passenger accounts broadly supported the description of a struggle in the cockpit, although the circumstances surrounding the incident and the motive remained unclear.
Passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon told reporters that the aircraft was “pretty much out of control” after one pilot allegedly attacked the other with a knife.
She said several passengers intervened and helped restrain the attacker, while a doctor on board provided first aid.
Another passenger, Almog Italie, described the aircraft’s sudden descent as resembling a rollercoaster ride, saying there was no turbulence despite the dramatic loss of altitude.
Data from Flightradar24 showed that the aircraft descended from nearly 34,000 feet to below 17,000 feet in about a minute.
Flydubai confirmed that the aircraft was diverted to Tabuk at about 9:45am local time and said the captain and co-pilot sustained injuries and were taken to hospital.
The airline said all passengers were safe but added that the circumstances surrounding the altercation were not immediately known.
The aircraft was later expected to continue its journey to Tel Aviv after passengers waited in Tabuk.
Netanyahu said another member of the flight crew took control of the aircraft and landed it safely, while the pilot accused of attacking his colleague was being questioned by Saudi authorities.
He also said he had instructed Israeli security agencies to prepare for possible additional threats.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described the incident as an attempted “jihadist terror attack”, although he did not provide evidence or identify a source for the alleged motive.
Israeli media reported that the military scrambled fighter jets after concerns about a possible hijacking, while footage circulating on social media appeared to show a bloodied passenger appealing for assistance as the aircraft prepared to land in Saudi Arabia.
The nationalities of the two pilots were not officially disclosed, although Israeli media reports claimed one was Omani and the other Emirati.
Authorities were investigating whether the incident involved an attempted suicide crash, a deliberate attack or another motive.
The episode occurred against the backdrop of heightened regional tensions and weeks before Israel’s scheduled elections at the end of October. On Tuesday, Netanyahu had warned of possible attempts by Israel’s enemies to attack ahead of the elections, remarks that were criticised by the opposition as fear-mongering.
