One pilot 'stabbed the other' and 'apparently tried to crash' Israel-bound plane, Netanyahu says
Passengers and crew subdued the attacker after the aircraft plunged about 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds, according to Flightradar24 data.
- On Wednesday, September 30, 2026, Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after a violent cockpit incident involving a stabbing and sudden altitude loss.
- Israeli officials allege an Omani co-pilot stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, and attempted to crash the aircraft, though Flydubai describes the event as an 'altercation' between pilots.
- Flightradar24 data shows the Boeing 737 MAX 8 dropped from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet while transmitting emergency codes 7700 and 7500, before passengers and crew intervened to neutralize the attacker.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reported that Saudi authorities arrested the co-pilot, while injured pilots were hospitalized and Israeli warplanes briefly scrambled over hijacking fears.
- Authorities are increasing security scrutiny for Israel-bound flights, while pragmatic aviation cooperation between Israel and Saudi Arabia—which lack formal diplomatic ties—enabled the emergency landing.
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Israel qualifies as an attempted terrorist attack what happened on the plane, while the airline asks that no precipitous conclusions be drawn before knowing the results of the investigation.While flight FZ 1073 was flying westwards over the Gulf waters towards Israel, its passengers may have lamented a 20-minute delay in take-off. To be a low-cost airline route, Flydubai's daily service to Tel Aviv is usually comfortable and reliable. Direct fli…
Flydubai and the heroism of ordinary Jews
TZAFRIA, ISRAEL - SEPTEMBER 30: Assaf Regavim, who filmed the first widely circulated video from inside the cabin and helped overpower the pilot, talks to reporters surrounded by news mics and phones at Ben Gurion Airport on September 30, 2026 in Tzafria, Israel. This morning, a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia after a violent altercation in the cockpit. Passengers told media outlets that a pilot was stabbed an…
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