Netanyahu says pilot arrested after stabbing fellow pilot and apparently trying to crash Israel-bound plane – as it happened

What Happened

FlyDubai flight FZ 1073, a Boeing 737 traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with between 160 and 180 passengers on board, transmitted a general emergency signal about two and a half hours after departing Dubai and diverted to Saudi Arabia while over Jordanian airspace. The aircraft transmitted a 7500 squawk code indicating possible unlawful interference before landing at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia at 9:45 a.m. local time; both pilots were taken to hospital after sustaining injuries. Flightradar24 data appeared to show the aircraft had suddenly and rapidly descended by nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before the first emergency signal. It was not immediately clear who transmitted the emergency signals. Passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon claimed the co-pilot tried to murder the pilot and carry out a suicide attack on the plane, and that passengers subdued the co-pilot; she said the pilot received first aid and there were no other injuries. Israeli officials scrambled fighter jets fearing a possible hijacking, and the Israeli prime minister's office said the situation was 'under control' and steps were being taken to bring passengers to Israel. An Israeli minister described the incident as a 'terrorist' attempt to kill Israelis.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The emergency landing of an Israel-bound flight in Saudi Arabia after a cockpit altercation raises significant security concerns for Israeli civil aviation amid ongoing regional tensions. The transmission of a hijack squawk code and the rapid deployment of Israeli fighter jets underscore the sensitivity of any incident involving Israeli passengers, particularly given the 7 October 2023 attack backdrop and the potential for cross-border security cooperation, as Saudi Arabia allowed the aircraft to land and provided medical treatment to the pilots.

Watch For

Monitor statements from the Israeli prime minister's office, FlyDubai, and Saudi aviation authorities clarifying the cause of the altercation and whether formal terrorism charges are filed against the co-pilot. Watch for details on the pilots' medical conditions, the identities and legal status of passengers who subdued the co-pilot, and the repatriation of passengers to Israel. Further investigation into the manual entry of the 7700 and 7500 squawk codes and any cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder findings will be key.