Passengers Subdue Hijacked Flydubai Flight, Land Safely in Saudi Arabia
Passengers on a Dubai-to-Israel flight subdued a co-pilot attempting to hijack the plane, landing safely in Saudi Arabia after a chaotic incident.
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Passengers aboard a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight took control of their aircraft after a co-pilot attempted to hijack the plane, according to Israeli officials. The incident occurred on Flight FZ1073, which was en route from Dubai to Ben Gurion Airport when the emergency began.
Chaos in the Cockpit
The aircraft transmitted the international distress code 7700 before switching to 7500, indicating unlawful interference. The plane plunged over 17,000 feet before leveling out and diverting to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Israeli officials classified the incident as a terror attack, with the co-pilot, an Omani national, allegedly stabbing the captain and attempting to seize control of the aircraft.
Passengers Take Action
Passengers did not wait for external help. One Israeli passenger described the fight in a video recorded after the plane was under control. “About the Dubai flight, we took control of the flight,” the passenger said. “Here, there was an incident with a crazy with a knife that stabbed one of the pilots. We just jumped in, and yeah, we got him.”
After securing the cockpit, the passenger reassured those watching that the situation was under control. “Everything’s under control now. Looks like we’ve landed in Saudi Arabia. You can see I’m okay. That’s it.” He went on to describe the condition of the pilots and the efforts to keep the aircraft secure. “The terrorist has been neutralized,” he said. “There’s a [pilot] here who is seriously wounded, and apparently another [pilot] in front who is slightly wounded, but he managed to land the plane.”
Israeli Security Response
Israeli fighter jets were scrambled as authorities initially feared the aircraft had been hijacked. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz convened an emergency security consultation as the plane remained out of contact and headed away from Israel. The plane ultimately landed with all passengers and crew alive.
Israeli security officials have said the working assessment shifted from an unexplained cockpit altercation to an attempted terror attack after passenger testimony and the investigation indicated that the attacker may have been trying to take control of the aircraft and crash it. Flydubai has confirmed that the aircraft experienced an incident and landed safely in Tabuk, with all passengers and crew accounted for. The airline has said the underlying motives remain subject to a formal investigation.
Source: Daily Wire
