Israeli Passengers Thwart Hijacking Attempt on FlyDubai Flight

An attempted hijacking of a FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv was thwarted by Israeli passengers who intervened after the co-pilot attacked the captain and attempted to seize control of the aircraft. The incident, which occurred on a flight carrying Israeli passengers, saw passengers storm the cockpit, subdue the assailant, and help regain control of the plane. Israeli security forces are investigating the co-pilot, identified as an Omani citizen, and have not yet found evidence linking him to Iran, though the primary theory suggests he acted as a lone wolf. Israeli intelligence estimates the co-pilot intentionally tried to crash the plane.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed aviation security between Israel and the UAE with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed and also spoke with Donald Trump about the incident. Netanyahu stated in a CNN interview that a catastrophe on the scale of 9/11 was averted and that Israel had no prior intelligence about the planned hijacking. Saudi Arabia is conducting its own investigation into the incident and has declined Israeli participation.

The alert about the potential hijacking came around 9:00 AM Israeli time, prompting the scramble of fighter jets. The co-pilot attacked the captain in the cockpit, attempting to take over the controls. Passengers heard the commotion and entered the cockpit to overpower the attacker. One passenger, Tzvi Mans, recounted that his wife heard screams from the cockpit and asked a crew member to investigate. Mans described the co-pilot striking the captain and passengers restraining the assailant with headphone cables after he was removed from the cockpit. "The plane suddenly went down, people were flying around the cabin. These were moments from a horror movie," Mans said. The struggle lasted between 20 and 30 minutes.

The aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia around 10:00 AM, and the Israeli passengers departed for Ben Gurion Airport at 5:30 PM. All passengers returned to Israel safely, with one individual receiving medical attention at Assaf Harofeh Hospital. Donald Trump commented that the co-pilot might have been a terrorist or mentally unstable, noting that the injured captain managed to open the cockpit door to call for help. Trump also relayed Netanyahu's account of a passenger with no piloting experience helping to stabilize the aircraft.