A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Israel was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia Wednesday after a violent attempt by one of the pilots to seize control of the aircraft and crash it, passengers and Israeli officials said.
"As they were approaching Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and apparently attempted to crash the plane with everyone on board," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement, lauding passengers and other crew members who intervened. The prime minister said he instructed Israel’s "security establishment to prepare for potential additional threats."
An Israeli security official told CBS News that authorities were investigating the possibility that the incident could have been an attempted Sept. 11-style terror attack, and whether the attacker was working alone.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called it "an attempted jihadist terror attack, which was thwarted only thanks to the heroism of several Israeli passengers who broke into the cockpit, overpowered the terrorist, and with their own hands returned control of the aircraft to an additional flight crew that was present," according to a statement.
The plane diverted to make an emergency landing in Tabuk, where there is a civilian airport adjacent to a Saudi military base. No passengers were injured in the incident, but the pilot attacked by his fellow crewmember reportedly sustained stab wounds, and Saudi authorities said two crew members were hospitalized with unspecified injuries.
According to Netanyahu, the pilot who carried out the stabbing was placed under arrest and was "being questioned by the Saudi authorities."
The plane landed in Tel Aviv shortly before 8 p.m. local time on Wednesday. People could be heard singing and chanting as the passengers disembarked. Family members came to the airport to celebrate their loved ones’ safe return.
Source:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tel-aviv-israel-flydubai-flight-saudi-arabia-diverted-pilots/