DUBAI — A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday after a cockpit attack in which one pilot allegedly stabbed the other and tried to crash the aircraft, Israeli and Emirati officials said.
Flight FZ1073, carrying roughly 150–174 people, showed a rapid descent of more than 17,000 feet in under two minutes over Saudi airspace and squawked emergency then hijack codes before passengers and crew helped overpower the attacker, flight data and Israeli accounts cited by the BBC showed. Indian captain Smit Machchhar was hailed as a hero after being stabbed; the co-pilot was arrested and questioned in Saudi Arabia. Israel’s foreign ministry said passengers included Israelis, Indians and Emiratis; the U.S. State Department said four U.S. citizens were aboard.
UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi opened a probe into whether the incident involved “terrorist activity or intent,” Emirati state media reported, asserting UAE jurisdiction because the aircraft flies under its flag. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was too early to say if Iran was involved. Flydubai suspended flights to and from Israel.
Sources: BBC News, Al Jazeera
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