Gaza Genocide · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Netanyahu Says FlyDubai Co-Pilot Stabbed Pilot, Tried To Crash Flight To Tel Aviv
Co-pilot stabbed the captain and attempted to crash the FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv; diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Passengers and crew restrained the attacker; the captain saved others as aircraft landed safely.
Whether the attacker was terrorists versus suicidal or mentally unwell.
6 of 8 outlets skipped it: vertical-speed range from transponder data indicates extreme fluctuations.
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Flight Incident, Gaza Context
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was targeted in an attempt to crash the plane after a co-pilot allegedly stabbed the other pilot, and he described the intention as to "crash the plane, killing everyone on board". Al Jazeera’s Jerusalem Daily segment linked the incident to the Israel-Palestine conflict by noting that while passengers returned safely, "105 Palestinians were laid to rest in a mass burial in Gaza." Netanyahu said the plane "went into a spin and began to dive" after the cockpit stabbing, and passengers later described the rapid drop as a moment when "We felt like we were, like, going to crash."
FlyDubai confirmed the aircraft "experienced an incident while en route" and landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after being diverted. The BBC reported that "attacking pilot" is being investigated in Saudi Arabia and that Israel is "likely" to participate in the investigation.
Competing Claims and Awards
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog praised the passengers who prevented the crash, saying, "The whole world saw the beautiful and courageous face of Israeli society," as he announced hero awards for five citizens. The ABC reported that Netanyahu instructed Israel’s "security establishment to prepare for potential additional threats," while the BBC said Netanyahu told Sean Hannity that the pilot’s motive is currently unknown. The BBC quoted passenger Almog Itali describing the drop as "like a rollercoaster, to drop down like a massive G-force" and said the plane was falling for "20 or 30 seconds rapidly" before stabilising.
CBS News reported that Netanyahu said he knew the co-pilot "underwent Islamist radical indoctrination," while the same CBS account also said Netanyahu later told CBS News that the co-pilot’s motive was still unknown. CThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation said Israel called for the co-pilot to be extradited to face a "life of hell" in Israel, while the UAE announced its own investigation into whether the incident involved "an act or intent of terrorism."
Aftermath, Investigations, and Ripple Effects
Israeli security authorities approved operations by domestic airlines to repatriate about 1,800 travelers stranded in Dubai after FlyDubai suspended flights, with the first phase starting Friday. The Israeli Ministry of Transport announced the state would reimburse airlines for costs related to operating empty aircraft to Dubai while requiring them to maintain "fair" prices for travelers. Flydubai suspended all flights between its hub in the United Arab Emirates and Israel after the incident involving flight FZ 1073 on 30 September, while the airline said the suspension would allow authorities to "continue their work and establish all the facts surrounding the incident."
Netanyahu said the Omani co-pilot exploited a "gap" in Israeli rules governing the employment of pilots from countries with which Israel does not have diplomatic relations. JNS.org said a Campaign Against Antisemitism study found antisemitic conspiracy theories circulated on X just 67 minutes after the first distress signal, and it quoted Oliver Marks saying, "It took 67 minutes for nearly downing a commercial airliner by a terrorist pilot to become material for antisemitic conspiracy theorists around the world."