Netanyahu says Flydubai pilot stabbed colleague and tried to crash Israel-bound plane

A Flydubai jet flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to northwestern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a violent cockpit confrontation that Israeli leaders described as an attempted crash of a flight carrying mostly Israeli passengers.

Flight and landing: Flightradar24 data cited by AP and BBC showed the Boeing 737 dropped on the order of 16,000–17,000 feet in roughly one to two minutes about 2½ hours after leaving Dubai International, then looped near the Jordanian border while transmitting emergency (7700) and unlawful-interference (7500) squawks before landing at Tabuk’s Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport. Tabuk airport said the flight made a distress call at 8:44 a.m. local time and landed safely at 9:45 a.m.; it said the captain and first officer were injured and hospitalized. Flydubai said all passengers were safe and accounted for; BBC reported the flight carried at least about 150 people, with Netanyahu saying almost all were Israeli. Israel scrambled warplanes when hijacking fears rose, AP reported.

Passenger accounts: Relatives and passengers told AP, Reuters, and Israeli outlets they heard cockpit screams, saw blood, and watched people rush toward a man with a knife as relief pilots or crew helped regain control — accounts the BBC and AP treated as developing and not all independently verified. Flydubai later said on-duty crew traveling on the flight secured the aircraft and diverted it to Tabuk, and that two replacement aircraft were sent to pick up passengers and crew.

Official statements: Netanyahu called the episode a very serious security incident, saluted the “heroes” who prevented a major disaster, and said Israel was working to return passengers safely. Flydubai described “an altercation” in the flight deck, said motives remain unknown and subject to formal investigation, and urged against premature speculation. The UAE–Israel air link has grown since the 2020 Abraham Accords; Saudi Arabia has no formal diplomatic ties with Israel but has allowed overflights and prior emergency landings for Israel-bound flights since ending its overflight ban in 2022, AP noted. Later Wednesday, the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority said FZ1073 experienced a “security incident” that was brought under control, that some crew members were injured and taken to a hospital in Saudi Arabia, and that its investigators are reviewing operational and security aspects; it urged the public not to circulate unofficial information, Gulf News and Khaleej Times reported. Saudi Arabia’s National Transport Safety Center said it opened an aviation safety investigation, Anadolu Agency reported. Tabuk airport said passengers left at 5:40 p.m. local time on a replacement aircraft; Anadolu put the passenger count at 174, and AFP images showed a flydubai jet carrying diverted passengers landing at Ben Gurion at 15:34 GMT, Khaleej Times reported. Officials have not disclosed the pilots’ condition or a motive.

Uncertainty: Early official and passenger accounts conflicted on sequence and who attacked whom before Netanyahu’s fuller statement. Attacker nationality, motive, and the severity of pilots’ injuries were not settled in AP/NPR/BBC reporting at this writing; media nationality claims varied and are not treated here as confirmed. US Brief has not independently verified cockpit video circulating on social media beyond wire descriptions.

Primary sourcing: Associated Press (Samy Magdy, Sam Metz, Melanie Lidman) via Boston.com/KCBD reprints, Sep 30, 2026 — flight path via Flightradar24, Tabuk distress/landing times, captain and first officer hospitalized, Israel warplane scramble, early knife/fight framing. NPR (Kat Lonsdorf, Aya Batrawy), updated Sep 30, 2026 ~10:50 a.m. ET — Netanyahu crash-attempt account, Saudi arrest claim, Flydubai “altercation” line, Katz “jihadist” label, recovery flights. BBC News (Hafsa Khalil) and BBC live blog, Sep 30, 2026 — takeoff 03:05 GMT, altitude drop, squawk 7700/7500, ≥150 aboard, Flydubai crew-secured statement, passenger accounts labeled unverified. Motive, attacker nationality, and exact injury details remain under investigation; Saudi authorities had not publicly confirmed Netanyahu’s arrest claim in the NPR wrap. ~12:10 p.m. PT refresh: added UAE GCAA statement (Gulf News, Khaleej Times), Saudi NTSC investigation and 174-passenger count (Anadolu), Tabuk replacement-flight departure (Anadolu), and Ben Gurion arrival (AFP via Khaleej Times). Attacker identity, motive and pilots’ condition remain officially unconfirmed.