A flydubai plane carrying Israeli passengers landed at Ben-Gurion Airport on Wednesday evening, hours after their original flight from Dubai was diverted to Saudi Arabia following a suspected terror incident in which one of the pilots allegedly attempted to crash the aircraft.
One of the pilots, an Omani national, is suspected of trying to crash the plane over Jordan after stabbing his Indian co-pilot, Smit Machchhar. A statement by the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said that Machchhar is in stable condition.
Israeli officials have come to believe with growing confidence that the motive behind the terror incident was nationalistic. They are investigating whether a lone individual was responsible or whether the pilot was acting on behalf of a particular country.
Following the incident, flydubai announced on Wednesday that flights to and from Israel will be suspended while the investigation continues. The temporary suspension will allow the relevant authorities to continue their work and establish all the facts surrounding the incident.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he spoke to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at length about the mid-air emergency, calling it "an incredible story."
According to Trump, Netanyahu detailed a chaotic scene in the cockpit where the co-pilot - whom Trump characterized as "perhaps a terrorist or a whack job" - allegedly stabbed the pilot before the captain managed to sound the alarm.
"An Israeli plumber, never flew a plane, saw what was happening... he ripped the guy out of the seat. Passengers got him, grabbed him. He took the stick, lifted it up, and leveled out the plane before it crashed," Trump said.
"I don't know if it's true, but that's the story I got from Bibi," he added.
Assaf Rajwan, one of the passengers who fought the attacker, said several of them went into the cockpit, overpowered him with the crew's help and restrained him with zip ties. He said two British pilots who were among the passengers went into the cockpit, and one of them, named James, managed to stabilize the plane.
Dr. Shota Musayev, a dentist who was on the flight, said he treated the pilot who had been stabbed after the pilot lost a lot of blood and was wounded in the hands and head. He said that after the attacker was subdued, passengers searched for the knife but couldn't find it, and feared he had accomplices on board.
Flydubai said that the motive behind the confrontation in the cockpit remains unclear and that an official investigation is underway. An Israeli source told Haaretz that the possibility of a terrorist attack had not been ruled out and that investigators were examining whether one of the pilots had attempted to crash the plane.
The crew members on the rescue flight were approved by Israeli security officials. According to the Israel Airports Authority, the passengers underwent brief questioning upon landing and were then released.
Israeli medics said a 52-year-old man was taken to hospital in light condition, after sustaining upper-body wounds.
Israeli authorities, including the Shin Bet and Mossad, are investigating the suspected terror incident. Israeli officials initially said that the alert had been triggered by a physical altercation between the pilots. However, an Israeli source later told Haaretz that the possibility of a terrorist attack had not been ruled out and that investigators were examining whether one of the two pilots had attempted to crash the plane.
Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian aviator, has been identified as the flydubai pilot who allegedly fought off his co-pilot during a mid-air cockpit clash, according to sources. The co-pilot allegedly attempted to sabotage the aircraft’s systems, triggering a confrontation that
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Investigators are examining whether the motive was nationalist or criminal, or whether the incident stemmed from a mental health issue.
Authorities are also investigating whether the suspected attacker intended to take hostages, crash the plane with its passengers aboard or fly it into a civilian target in Israel. If a nationalist motive is established, they will examine whether the incident was isolated or part of a broader plot targeting other flights.
Investigators are also looking into possible security lapses, including how the pilot was able to board the aircraft and whether he brought the sharp object allegedly used in the stabbing onto the plane.
The incident began at 8:22 A.M., when the Israel-bound aircraft suddenly plunged from 34,000 feet to 16,000 feet in less than two minutes. It subsequently transmitted a general distress signal, followed several minutes later by a code indicating a possible hijacking. Israeli fighter jets were dispatched in response.
Passengers described scenes of panic as the plane plunged and screams erupted from the cockpit. Footage showed two injured, bleeding pilots, while a passenger said one had stabbed the other. Several Israelis reportedly broke into the cockpit and subdued the suspected attacker, after which another flight crew aboard the plane managed to stabilize the aircraft and land it safely.
Netanyahu thanked the Indian pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar, "for his extraordinary bravery."
"Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, [Machchhar] fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker – preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster," Netanyahu said in a statement.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery. Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker —
Show moreFar-right Likud MK Almog Cohen praised Machchhar's conduct, saying that his "remarkable resourcefulness enabled him to unlock the cockpit door and allow the Israeli lions to sink their teeth into the cowardly hyena who nearly killed 200 innocent people."
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said that following the incident he spoke with his Emirati counterpart, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The aircraft eventually landed at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, northwest Saudi Arabia. Flydubai confirmed that the plane had landed safely and all passengers were safe, saying it was cooperating with authorities.
According to a source familiar with the matter, Saudi Arabia had refused to allow an Israeli military aircraft to land in its territory to carry out the rescue.
Defense Minister Israel Katz called the incident a "jihadist terror attack," saying initial information indicated that the suspected attacker intended "to crash the plane with all its passengers." He credited the passengers who intervened with preventing a disaster and defended the security warnings he and Netanyahu had issued.
The incident also sparked a political dispute over Netanyahu's warning Tuesday that Israel's enemies were planning attacks ahead of the election.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said a subsequent security briefing included no warning related to the flight. He rejected a political source's claim that he had been warned of increased terrorist activity abroad, saying the warning was longstanding and unrelated to aircraft, and accused Netanyahu's office of exploiting the incident for political gain.
