Israel-Bound Plane Diverts to Saudi Arabia in Suspected Hijacking Attempt

A FlyDubai flight carrying Israeli passengers from Dubai to Israel diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday in a suspected hijacking attempt that Israeli security officials said authorities were treating as a terrorist attack.

The airline confirmed that flight FZ 1073, bound for Ben Gurion Airport, experienced an incident and landed safely in Tabuk, in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

Israeli security officials told Epoch Magazine Israel that preliminary investigations, including witness testimony and intelligence checks, had led authorities to treat the incident as terrorism.

One possibility under investigation is that one of the pilots tried to take control of the aircraft while the other tried to stop him, the officials said. The officials said a violent struggle followed, with crew members and passengers forcing their way into the cockpit and subduing the pilot allegedly involved.

Passenger accounts did not indicate how many people were involved in the suspected attack.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the situation was under control and efforts were underway to bring the Israeli passengers safely to Israel.

FlyDubai said that all passengers were safe and accounted for.

“The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority,” the carrier said, adding that it is working closely with authorities investigating the incident.

Emergency Diversion, Cockpit Struggle

Publicly available flight-tracking information showed that the aircraft transmitted an emergency alert before landing in Tabuk.

According to Flightradar24, about two and a half hours after departing Dubai, the aircraft descended from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet within a minute. It then circled near the Jordanian border before landing in Tabuk about an hour later.

A video of a passenger’s account of a knife attack and passengers intervening to protect a pilot was shared by Israel’s Channel 10, described as having been recorded aboard the aircraft.

“We’re on the flight from Dubai. We took control of the situation; there was an attacker with a knife who stabbed one of the pilots,” the passenger, identified by Channel 10 as Yitzhak Lieber, said in the video. “A few of us just jumped in and pulled him out of the cockpit.”

Lieber said one pilot was seriously injured and another appeared to have suffered less serious injuries but was managing to land the aircraft.

“The attacker has been neutralized,” he said.

The airline and Netanyahu’s office did not provide an injury count or identify a suspect in their statements. FlyDubai said it would provide further updates as additional confirmed details become available.

The United Arab Emirates has become a popular destination for Israeli tourists since the two countries normalized diplomatic relations in 2020.