The co-pilot of a Flydubai flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv reportedly stabbed the captain in what Israeli officials consider a possible attempted terror attack on Wednesday. This violent incident forced the aircraft to divert and land safely in Saudi Arabia.
Cabin crew intervened by entering the cockpit and regaining control of flight FZ1073 as it passed over Jordanian airspace, redirecting it to Saudi Arabia. One official identified the assailant as an Omani national. Earlier reports indicated the plane sent emergency signals following a physical confrontation between the pilots.
Flight data from Flightradar24 revealed that the plane experienced a sudden, rapid descent of nearly 14,000 feet within 30 seconds prior to the first emergency alert. Around the time of the landing in Saudi Arabia, a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister’s office stated the incident was not a hijacking but described it as a distinct event. No immediate clarification was provided on whether it is being officially classified as a terror incident.
Israeli officials, speaking anonymously, confirmed that current assessments point to an attempted terror attack rather than any mental health issues involving the pilots. Omani authorities and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office have yet to comment on the matter.
Both pilots were hospitalized after the incident, Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk airport where the plane touched down. A video circulating widely in Israeli media showed an Israeli passenger describing one pilot as seriously injured and the other with minor injuries following the stabbing. Neither the airport nor the passenger identified the attacker.
The Boeing 737, carrying around 150 Israeli passengers, sent multiple emergency signals, including one indicating possible unlawful interference, before safely landing at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. It remains unclear who exactly transmitted these distress signals.
This event has heightened security concerns in Israel just weeks before its upcoming election, the first since the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023. Security remains a central campaign issue. Far-right Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded on social media, stating “terrorism is a devil with whom no agreement must be reached.”
Conflicting media reports emerged, with some suggesting a pilot attempted to crash the plane in a suicide attempt. There were discrepancies regarding the pilots’ nationalities, with some outlets naming them as Omani and Emirati, while others reported Russian and Ukrainian identities. The incident prompted national security consultations in Israel, which maintains no formal diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, where the plane landed.
Israel’s prime minister’s office assured that the situation was under control and all necessary steps were being taken to bring Israeli passengers back home. Netanyahu, who held security consultations following the incident, cleared his schedule to focus on managing the crisis. Notably, Netanyahu had recently met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during a rare Gulf visit. Since establishing diplomatic relations in 2020, Israel and the UAE have developed close military, security, and economic cooperation, including Israel supplying the UAE with Iron Dome air-defense systems earlier this year.
The UAE has not yet issued a statement, while Flydubai described the event simply as an “incident,” confirming the flight diverted to Tabuk and landed safely with all passengers accounted for.
One passenger, Yasmin Abukasis, shared that her daughter Miriam, aboard the flight, heard screaming and witnessed a man wielding a knife forcing a pilot to the floor, with blood reportedly visible throughout the cabin. Israeli media circulated a photo purportedly from inside the plane showing a blood-soaked shirt, though its authenticity remains unverified.
Flydubai operates daily flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv, a route frequently used by Israeli travelers. The flight path typically crosses Saudi and Jordanian airspace. This is not the first emergency landing of a flight between Israel and the UAE in Saudi Arabia; a Flydubai flight made an emergency stop in Riyadh in September 2025 due to a medical issue.
