An Israel-bound flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia after a pilot stabbed another in the cockpit, prompting a distress signal and emergency landing.
What happened
A Flydubai flight carrying around 180 people, mostly Israeli citizens, was interrupted when one pilot attacked the other, causing the plane to plummet over 14,000 feet in 29 seconds. Passengers described a terrifying scene with screaming, panic, and blood. The plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, where one of the pilots, an Indian national, was hospitalized and the other, an Omani citizen, was taken into custody for questioning.
A passenger, Yaniv Hayun, intervened and subdued the attacker, helping to stabilize the plane. The motive behind the attack is still under investigation, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating it is too early to determine whether it was a terrorist attack or not. However, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has labeled it a
