Passengers from a Flydubai flight that was briefly hijacked have arrived safely in Israel.
What happened
A passenger and crew member thwarted an attempted hijacking by overpowering the copilot, who had been stabbed by the pilot. The plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, and the passengers were later flown to Israel on a rescue flight.
Upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, the passengers were greeted by the crews of Magen David Adom, Israel’s Red Cross, and were reported to be in good health. They are scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Transportation Minister Miri Regev.
Netanyahu praised the heroes who stopped the hijacking, saying they displayed extraordinary resourcefulness and courage, and prevented a major disaster. He also ordered security on Israeli and non-Israeli carriers to be increased in light of the incident.
