A pilot on a flight from Dubai to Israel who reportedly stabbed his co-pilot in an attempted hijacking in midair has been arrested, Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.
The Israeli prime minister said the man is being interrogated by Saudi authorities.
Terrified passengers travelling on Flydubai Flight FZ1073 have described bloody scenes as the plane descended approximately 13,000 feet in 30 seconds during the chaos Wednesday morning.
One passenger with blood on his face posted to social media: “We’re here during the hijacking of an airplane. At this point we’ve subdued the terrorists, we’re approaching landing. Whoever is hearing me, we need help.”
Another, called Meital, told Channel 12: “There were stabbings and a lot of blood. We’re very emotional and under terrible stress, it’s very difficult for me to talk.”
The Boeing 737 plane, which Israeli media said had around 150 Israeli passengers on board, landed at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Defence minister Israel Katz said that the incident was an intentional “jihadist terror attack”.
Citing preliminary information, he said that the attacker intended to crash the plane killing everyone on board.
Passenger put attacker in a chokehold and took plane controls after pilot was stabbed
A passenger told Benjamin Netanyahu that he put the hijacker “in a chokehold” to save the flight from crashing.
In a conversation with the Israeli prime minister, a passenger, Yaniv, explained what happened.
In a video posted on social media, the passenger is seen telling Netanyahu: "The pilot who was stabbed was simply very close to the door, so it was hard for us to open it."
But he says "before he (the stabbed pilot) collapsed" he managed to open the door.
"When I entered, I saw the attacker on the instruments, between the two seats... there were no pilots in the seats.
"One was down, one was on the instruments. And another guy came in with me. I grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold, and pulled him - first and foremost - outside."
He says the attacker was "trying to destroy the instruments in order to disable the plane".
Netanyahu embraces passenger who 'burst into cockpit' on flight
Photos of Benjamin Netanyahu meeting the passenger who “burst into the cockpit on the flight from Dubai to Israel” were posted on the Israeli prime minister’s X account.
The PM is seen embracing the passenger in one photo, while in another, the passenger is showing Netanyahu his sock covered in blood.
Pilot stabs co-pilot in attempted hijacking of Israel flight - before hero passengers avert disaster
A pilot who stabbed his co-pilot on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv in an attempted hijacking wanted to crash the plane and kill everyone on board, Israel has said.
Israeli intelligence believe the pilot is an Omani jihadist who wanted to carrying out a midair terror attack, that was only prevented by the brave intervention of passengers on the Flydubai flight. An off duty British pilot also stepped in to help land the plane safely in Saudi Arabia after chaos broke out in the cabin on Wednesday.
With their clothes still covered in blood, a number of the 180 people on board described the terrifying ordeal after the plane veered off course and dramatically descended around 17,000 feet in two minutes.
Alex Croft reports:
In pictures: Passengers exit Ben Gurion International Airport
Photos show passengers leaving Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod.
In pictures: Passengers from FlyDubai flight reunited with families
The passengers from the FlyDubai flight were greeted by their families, waiting with balloons and flowers, in a designated area set up especially for them in the domestic arrivals hall.
US coordinating very closely with counterparts overseas on flydubai incident, attorney general says
US Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Wednesday that the US was coordinating "very closely" with counterparts overseas, including Israel, regarding the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv that was diverted.
Netanyahu declares attack a 'highly severe security incident'
Describing the event as “a highly severe security incident,” Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saudi authorities would interrogate the co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 from the United Arab Emirates to Israel.
An Israeli official identified the attacker as an Omani national who was arrested after the plane landed, Netanyahu said.
“All passengers are out of harm's way,” Netanyahu, who described the passengers as being almost all Israeli, said in a video statement released by his office.
The Israeli leader quoted a passenger as saying that passengers along with a member of the crew broke into the cockpit after the aircraft “entered a tailspin and began to dive” and found the co-pilot “trying to sabotage the plane's systems.”
“They saved many lives. They prevented a heavy disaster,” he said.
In pictures: Broken rudder of FlyDubai plane after 'hijacking' incident forces emergency landing
Watch: Passengers on diverted Israel-bound flight aid bloodied men
Blood-covered passengers recall terrifying ordeal
Blood-covered passengers described the terrifying ordeal after Flydubai Flight FZ1073 dramatically descended nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds, veering off course on Wednesday morning, FlightRadar data shows.
“We’re here during the hijacking of an airplane,” said one passenger with blood running down his face, in a video posted to social media and translated by The Times of Israel. “At this point we’ve subdued the terrorists, we’re approaching landing. Whoever is hearing me, we need help.”
