A passenger on FlyDubai flight FZ1073 was pictured with a bloodstained shirt after a pilot allegedly tried to crash the plane during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, in an incident being treated in Israel as a terrorist act.
The aircraft, carrying roughly 150 passengers, activated the 7500 emergency code, which signals possible unlawful interference, prompting Israeli fighter jets to be scrambled. The plane was reportedly tracked heading towards Saudi Arabia before disappearing from flight radar.
Mid-air incident and emergency landing
The airport's air traffic control centre received a distress call at 8.44am local time, during which the crew requested an emergency landing. The plane landed safely around an hour later at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia.
According to Channel 12's Amit Segal, it appeared that one of the pilots had repeatedly stabbed the other during the mid-air incident. Segal said: “Crew members and numerous passengers managed to breach the cockpit door and subdue the attacker.”
Passenger accounts and injuries
Passengers described hearing “screams and seeing blood” onboard, with some claiming one of the pilots had been stabbed. This has yet to be confirmed. On Wednesday afternoon, it was revealed that the captain and first officer were injured and taken to hospital, although the cause of the injuries remains unclear, according to the BBC.
The company that owns Tabuk airport confirmed their injuries in a statement. Israeli channels reported a fight between pilots before the alert was issued, with passengers intervening to help remove the alleged attacker from the cockpit.
Passengers intervene and recovery flight
An Israeli passenger told The Jerusalem Post that people seated near the front rushed towards the cockpit after one pilot allegedly stabbed another. The passenger claimed two other pilots were onboard but initially appeared shocked. “I shouted at them to run and take control of the plane,” the passenger said. Passengers managed to remove the alleged attacker, allowing the other pilots to enter and one to take control.
Passengers said they thought they were going to die as the plane descended rapidly, dropping 14,000ft in just 29 seconds. The accused pilot is being questioned, with growing indications that he wanted to take control of the plane and crash it, according to a senior Israeli official quoted by Channel 12 (N12).
A recovery flight is reportedly heading to Tabuk to collect passengers and take them to Tel Aviv. Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 said on X that the aircraft was “now en route” to pick up those affected. FlyDubai previously confirmed that all passengers were safe following the emergency landing. New pictures show passengers passing through the arrivals area at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on September 30. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz are understood to be in urgent security talks, but no confirmation of an actual hijacking has yet been issued.
