Israeli PM Netanyahu claims Flydubai co-pilot tried to crash Tel Aviv-bound plane

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that a pilot aboard a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv allegedly tried to crash the aircraft after stabbing the other pilot, prompting an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Netanyahu said Saudi authorities had arrested the co-pilot and were questioning him following the incident aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073, which was carrying mostly Israeli passengers.

“During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot, and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board,” Netanyahu said in a video message. He praised the passengers as “heroes” who, he said, helped prevent a major disaster.

Netanyahu added that Israel was preparing for other “potential threats” following the incident.

Flydubai, the UAE-based airline, said the circumstances surrounding the cockpit altercation remained unclear and were under formal investigation.

“At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation,” a Flydubai spokesperson said in a statement, urging all parties to “refrain from premature speculation” while authorities establish the facts.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the incident as an “attempted jihadist terror attack.” Other Israeli ministers also characterized the emergency landing as an attempted attack, although authorities had not publicly established a motive for the cockpit incident.

The conflicting accounts underscore that the circumstances and motive behind the altercation remain under investigation.