A passenger onboard FlyDubai flight FZ1073, which made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after a pilot allegedly attacked a colleague, says he grabbed the aggressor and then took the controls. The aircraft, bound for Tel Aviv from Dubai, issued an emergency hijacking alert shortly after 6.30am BST. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alleged that one of the pilots "stabbed the other pilot and apparently tried to crash the plane".
Passenger describes cockpit struggle
Mr Netanyahu has said he met a passenger named Yoniv, who he says "broke into the cockpit" and is a "great hero". In footage, Yoniv says: "When I entered, I saw the attacker on the instruments, between the two seats... there were no pilots in the seats." He added: "One was down, one was on the instruments. And another guy came in with me. I grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold, and pulled him - first and foremost - outside." He said he then pulled at the controls.
The accused pilot is believed to be from Oman, while the pilot who was stabbed has been named in Indian media as Smit Machchhar, an Indian national who has been hailed as a hero for "fighting back". Two other pilots, who were on board ahead of a connection flight from Tel Aviv, reportedly helped take control of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and land it. A passenger claimed one of them was British.
Emergency descent and landing
Witnesses say passengers restrained the alleged attacker after hearing screams as the plane, carrying around 150 people, plummeted 17,000ft in two minutes. The aircraft was diverted to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. FlyDubai said in a statement that "an altercation occurred in the flight deck of flight FZ1073" and that the aircraft "was successfully secured by on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely at Tabuk Airport". The airline added that all passengers and crew were safe and accounted for.
Israeli security sources told The Telegraph that the incident is "thought to be a 9/11 scenario" in which one pilot kills the other and crashes the plane. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz claimed the incident was an "attempted jihadist terror attack" that was "thwarted only thanks to the bravery of several Israeli passengers who broke into the cockpit, overpowered the terrorist and, with their own hands, restored control of the plane to another flight crew who was present there".
Passengers recount terror onboard
Passenger Zvika Meness told Israeli media that the attacker was "tied up with zip ties and headphones". He said: "Then we saw stabbings and they were thrown out. It was a very difficult incident. Three of us jumped in and neutralised him." Another passenger, Daniel, told Israeli media he feared a repeat of the 9/11 attacks as the aircraft entered a "steep dive, nose down, with a very intense spin". He said: "The spinning stopped. It felt like an eternity, but I think it was at least two or three minutes, during which the plane was simply diving and spinning like crazy. It felt like that’s it. It’s over. Sept 11 is happening again."
Passengers were eventually flown to Israel on a replacement flight, which landed at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv. Saudi Arabia reportedly refused to allow Israeli aircraft to collect the stranded passengers, and an Israeli official told CNN that Saudi authorities would not permit Israeli planes to enter the country. The accused pilot has been arrested and is being questioned by Saudi authorities, according to Mr Netanyahu.
