A flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv reportedly escaped catastrophe when one of the pilots allegedly tried to stab his colleague. Amid the altercation in the cockpit, Israel’s i24 News reported that the attacking pilot tried to crash the plane. The flight was diverted to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia successfully.
Amid this, a heroic effort was made by passengers who managed to subdue the alleged attacker, saving the injured pilot. One among them was seen meeting Israeli Prime Minister . In a viral video, Netanyahu is seen talking to the man. The man was wearing his blood-soaked T-shirt while sharing a hug with the PM.
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The incident took place on Wednesday on FlyDubai flight FZ1073. According to Times of Israel, the flight carried about 180 passengers when the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the other pilot. Reportedly, after the stabbing, the flight lost control, briefly diving 17,000 feet in under a minute.
The Israeli media outlet added that two off-duty pilots reportedly took charge after the co-pilot, an Omani national, had been incapacitated by Israeli passengers after entering the cockpit.
Tzvika Manes, CEO of Bank Leumi’s underwriting arm Barak Leumi, was among the passengers who reportedly subdued the attacker.
“My younger daughter was in the bathroom, and my wife heard sounds in the cockpit,” he told the Kan public broadcaster, as quoted by Times of Israel.
“Another team member entered the cockpit and saw the stabbing and threw him out. Three of us jumped on him with all our strength and tied him up with the multimedia headphones; that’s how we subdued him,” he added further.
A passenger identified as Daniel, who was also travelling on the FlyDubai flight, told Channel 12 news, “Suddenly I heard a struggle. Something like a fight coming from the cockpit.”
“The door was slightly ajar, and I saw an attempt to push someone out. Then three Israelis who were sitting behind me came to see what was happening, and the plane suddenly went into a very steep dive, nose down, with a very intense spin.
“From what I understood, a copilot stabbed the captain, and once they subdued the attacker, there were two other pilots on the plane, and they took control,” he said.
“The spinning stopped. It took some — I don’t know, it felt like an eternity, but I think it was two minutes, at least two or three minutes, during which the plane was simply diving and spinning like crazy,” Daniel recalled, adding, “It felt like, that’s it. It’s over. September 11 is happening again.”
An investigation has been launched. The motivation or cause behind the incident remains unknown.
