What happened
A pilot stabbed his co-pilot on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, causing the plane to plummet 14,125 feet in 29 seconds. The incident occurred on Wednesday, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the pilot may have attempted to crash the plane with 174 people on board.
Passengers and crew members intervened to prevent the plane from crashing, and the flight was diverted to Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport for an emergency landing. A rescue flight later brought passengers to Israel's Ben Gurion Airport.
According to Israeli officials, the stabbed pilot, identified as Indian national Captain Smit Machchhar, played a crucial role in saving the lives of those on board by opening the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to rush in and secure the cockpit.
The pilot who committed the stabbing is believed to be a citizen of Oman and is currently in custody in Saudi Arabia. An investigation by Saudi authorities is ongoing, and preliminary findings suggest that the incident may have been an attempted terrorist attack.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the incident as a
