One pilot 'stabbed the other' and 'apparently tried to crash' Israel-bound plane, Netanyahu says
- 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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Harger: Twenty-seven kids on a diving Flydubai 737 MAX got home safe. Thank a Boeing worker in Renton
Earlier this week, a Flydubai jet headed from Dubai to Tel Aviv nearly went down. Officials said the co-pilot stabbed the captain and tried to crash the plane.
Passengers aboard a FlyDubai flight described scenes of panic after the Boeing 737 Max 8 suddenly plunged thousands of feet.
Tel Aviv flight passengers recount harrowing moments during mid-air attack
Passengers aboard FlyDubai Flight 1073 expressed fear, anger and ultimately elation after they survived what Israeli officials said was an attempted terror attack thousands of feet in the air on Wednesday. After the passengers, many of whom were Israeli citizens, returned to Tel Aviv following [...]
CNN Expert Claims Motive For Flydubai Incident Could Be 'Benign,' Like 'Workplace Violence'
On Wednesday, tragedy was averted after the co-pilot of a Flydubai flight from Saudi Arabia to Tel Aviv, reportedly carrying more than 100 Israelis, stabbed the captain in the cockpit, causing the jet to plunge thousands of feet, before a passenger and crew member subdued the attacker allowing another crew member to take control of the plane. Despite strong appearances to the contrary, CNN found a guest who wouldn't rule out "workplace violence"…
After the violent clash in the cockpit of an Emirati airline aircraft on the way from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israel's government speaks of terror - but many questions are still open.
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