A Flydubai aircraft flying this morning (Wednesday) from Abu Dhabi toward Tel Aviv, carrying 160 Israelis, suddenly made an unusual and sharp descent while near the Jordanian border. Two emergency signals were subsequently received from the aircraft—one indicating an unusual incident and interference with the flight, and the other indicating a hijacking. At the same time, the aircraft lost contact and flew toward Saudi Arabia. Minutes later, it was already being monitored and escorted by Israeli and Saudi fighter jets.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz quickly convened a security consultation. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir also held a situation assessment with the Air Force commander, the head of the Operations Directorate, the head of Military Intelligence, and other commanders.
Security officials assessed that the co-pilot, an Omani citizen, may have attempted to hijack the aircraft and crash it. The co-pilot apparently stabbed the captain, an Emirati citizen, several times, seriously injuring him, while he himself sustained minor injuries. Another flight crew, who were seated outside the cockpit, heard what was happening, broke in, and reestablished contact. From that point on, they took control of the aircraft.
After the aircraft was brought under control, it landed in Saudi Arabia and is now being secured by local security forces. The suspect was arrested and remains under investigation. It is still unclear whether the motive was psychological or whether this was a terrorist attack.
The investigation is currently being led by the Mossad, with assistance from the Shin Bet, which will question the passengers of the Flydubai flight as soon as they land in Israel. A senior security official warned: “What concerns us most about this incident right now is that the terrorist was a pilot. We are concerned about additional security breaches and attempts to carry out copycat attacks.”
In Israel, authorities are also examining how an Omani national was cleared to fly to Israel and whether he received the relevant authorization, as stipulated in the Israel Airports Authority’s regulations.
According to one of the Israeli passengers who was interviewed by i24NEWS, “The entire cockpit was covered in blood. Israelis took control of the situation and caught the attacker.”
Another passenger told Army Radio: “Suddenly, in the middle of the flight, we felt the plane plummeting dramatically. We realized we were in a serious situation. It was very frightening. We’re waiting for an alternative flight.”
El Al offered to send a rescue flight to Saudi Arabia—the first such flight in the company’s history. However, it appears that the state will send an IDF aircraft.