What happened
A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia after one pilot stabbed another and attempted to crash the plane. The incident occurred on Wednesday, and the plane was carrying at least 150 people, mostly Israeli passengers.
The flight took off from Dubai International Airport and was en route to Ben-Gurion Airport in Israel when the stabbing occurred. The plane rapidly descended over Saudi Arabia, and the pilot signalled an emergency code before switching to a hijacking code.
Passengers and crew members overpowered the attacker, and the plane was diverted to Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The stabbed pilot, identified as Indian national Capt Smit Machchhar, was taken to hospital and is in a stable condition.
Passengers described the incident as traumatic, with one passenger saying the plane went into a spin and began to descend before they and a crew member broke into the cockpit and overpowered the attacker. Another passenger described the attacker trying to destroy the instruments in the cockpit.
The incident has been described as an attempted jihadist terror attack by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has praised the passengers and crew members who intervened, calling them heroes.
