Trump Recounts Dramatic Dubai Flight Hijacking Attempt

U.S. President Donald Trump shared a dramatic, unverified account of the Flydubai flight hijacking attempt from Dubai to Israel, stating he discussed the incident at length with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump described the co-pilot as "a terrorist or a madman" and offered his own version of events in the cockpit. According to Trump's telling, the severely injured pilot managed to open the cockpit's steel door from the inside and call for help. At this point, Trump claimed, a plumber with very little flying experience intervened.

"He went into the cockpit, pulled the co-pilot out of his seat and threw him backward, where other passengers helped to restrain him," Trump narrated. During this time, the president noted, the plane deviated from its normal operating limits, plunging sharply. Trump asserted that an Israeli passenger then grabbed the controls and managed to stabilize the aircraft just before a crash. "After never having flown a plane, he took the controls and lifted it up," Trump said, adding the passenger claimed to have learned basic flying concepts from watching the TV show "Air Crash Investigation."

Only after the plane stabilized did relief pilots and security personnel arrive to take full control. Trump repeatedly qualified his account, emphasizing that he relied on unconfirmed reports. "This is the story I heard. I don't know if it's true, but this is what I got from Bibi and some early sources," he clarified, also noting he had not yet confirmed the co-pilot's definitive intent to crash the plane. Trump concluded by praising the "Jewish plumber" for his extraordinary composure, calling the incident "the most amazing story."

The Flydubai flight FZ1073 was en route from Dubai to Israel when the co-pilot, from Oman, attacked the Indian captain. The plane lost altitude rapidly before passengers and crew managed to enter the cockpit and subdue the attacker. Another crew then took control and landed the aircraft in Saudi Arabia. The 174 passengers, mostly Israelis, were later returned to Israel on a replacement Flydubai flight.