FlyDubai pilot stabs fellow pilot, attempts to crash plane, Netanyahu says

Members of Shin Bet, Israel's internal security and counterintelligence service, are traveling to Dubai Thursday after a Tel Aviv-bound FlyDubai flight was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an alleged cockpit attack.

Agents were dispatched to help with the repatriation of Israeli travelers stranded in the city, The Times of Israel reported.

The agency will handle security preparations ahead of the expected return flights.

Israel will operate special repatriation flights to bring home passengers affected by the suspension of service by non-Israeli airlines.

FlyDubai Flight 1073 was carrying 174 people Wednesday when a pilot aboard the plane allegedly stabbed another pilot and “apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

FlyDubai suspended flights to and from Israel while the investigation continues.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised a FlyDubai captain for averting a midair disaster after he was allegedly stabbed by his co-pilot in the cockpit.

Capt. Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, managed to open the cockpit door despite his serious injuries, allowing passengers and crew to intervene and subdue the attacker. The flight, which was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 passengers, ultimately made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

In a post on X, Modi hailed Machchhar's actions.

"In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others," Modi wrote.

"His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy," he continued. "India is proud of Captain Machchhar."

"Praying for his speedy recovery, renewed strength and good health," Modi added.

Machchhar is receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Tabuk, where the aircraft made its emergency landing, according to Indian officials. He was reported to be in stable condition.

Retired Navy F/A-18 fighter pilot Matthew Buckley praised passengers aboard a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight Wednesday who fought their way toward the cockpit as the aircraft plunged, comparing their actions to those who fought back aboard United Airlines Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001.

Speaking on "Fox News @ Night," Buckley described the plane's safe landing as an "absolute miracle."

"There's no such thing as coincidence, as God winks," Buckley said.

"From the captain who fought off the attacker, who opened the cockpit door, to the Israeli citizens who jumped in, this really is a throwback to Flight 93 and Todd Beamer and the great Americans who said, 'Let's roll.'"

Buckley said the events aboard Flight 93 taught passengers that they may have to intervene when a dangerous situation unfolds aboard an aircraft.

"We have taught the world that sadly, if somebody's gonna try and take down an airliner, you have to get involved," Buckley said.

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said Wednesday there was "no doubt" that a FlyDubai pilot was attempting to bring down a Tel Aviv-bound plane, calling it a miracle that the aircraft was able to land safely.

"We have no doubt that it was a terror attack of a radical individual," Danon said on "The Ingraham Angle."

"We know that there was an intention to bring that plane down, and we are grateful," he continued.

"We're grateful for the miracles that happened, because when you look at the odds, what are the odds that you're going to have a brave pilot that will find the terrorist, and that will open the door of the cockpit, allowing brave passengers to step in and neutralize the threat."

Danon also praised the passengers who stepped in and helped land the plane safely in Saudi Arabia.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday on "Hannity" that the passengers and wounded captain who stopped the attack aboard the flight prevented a disaster that "could have been global."

Netanyahu singled out passenger Yaniv Chayon, a plumber traveling with his family who rushed the cockpit as the aircraft nosedived, saying he "acted with coolness of judgment and heroism."

A passenger’s ability to stop the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight’s terrifying descent long enough for trained pilots to take over was “absolutely amazing,” retired commercial pilot Laura Cox said.

Speaking on “Jesse Watters Primetime,” Cox described the cramped cockpit and extreme forces confronting those who intervened after the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain.

Asked whether pilots train for an attack by a fellow pilot, Cox said, “No, that's not usually something that we plan for, it's rather shocking and I just can't imagine what Captain Machchhar went through.”

Cox said the cockpit’s tight quarters would have made the struggle especially difficult. During the initial plunge, passengers could have felt themselves being pulled from their seats, similar to cresting a roller coaster.

“That's far in excess of anything that we would do normally,” she said of the reported descent rates.

Cox praised the passenger who reportedly pulled back on the aircraft’s yoke, helping stop the dive before other pilots took control.

“The fact that this gentleman was able to … stabilize and stop the descent so that the actual pilots could get in the seat is just absolutely amazing,” she said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the passengers and wounded captain who stopped the attack aboard a Dubai-to-Israel flight prevented a disaster that “could have been global.”

Speaking on “Hannity,” Netanyahu praised passenger Yaniv Chayon, a plumber traveling with his family, who rushed the cockpit as the aircraft nosedived.

“He acted with coolness of judgment and heroism,” Netanyahu said. “They stopped a disaster that could have been global.”

Netanyahu described the seriously wounded Indian captain unlocking the cockpit door, allowing Chayon to enter, pull the attacker away from the controls and lift the aircraft’s control stick. Other passengers and reserve crew members then helped restrain the attacker and stabilize the plane, he said.

Netanyahu called their actions “tremendous courage that prevented another 9/11.”

He also recounted asking Chayon’s children what happened during the plunge.

“The kid said, ‘We flew to the ceiling,’” Netanyahu said. “The people were already saying their prayers. They thought they were going to all crash and die. And they were saved.”

Asked whether Iran was involved, Netanyahu cautioned, “It's too early to say.”

He said investigators would examine whether the attacker had accomplices or Iranian ties.

“We'll get to the root of this attacker,” Netanyahu said.

Some passengers aboard the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight feared they were about to die as the aircraft plunged following the cockpit stabbing, Fox News foreign correspondent Jeff Paul reported.

Speaking from Tel Aviv on “The Ingraham Angle,” Paul said investigators were working to establish why the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain and what he intended to do.

Defense Minister Israel Katz called it a terrorist attack, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker intended to crash the aircraft with everyone aboard, Paul reported.

Witnesses described an abrupt nosedive after the stabbing began. The aircraft eventually landed safely in Saudi Arabia.

Hours later, crowds gathered at Ben Gurion Airport to welcome the survivors home. Netanyahu met a passenger whose clothing was still bloodied after he helped rush the cockpit.

Netanyahu also praised the wounded captain, crediting him with helping prevent a midair tragedy and saving 174 lives.

FlyDubai suspended flights to and from Israel while the investigation continues.

Survivors of the attack aboard a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight were greeted with celebrations upon arriving in Israel, hours after passengers and crew helped avert a potential catastrophe.

Fox News foreign correspondent Jeff Paul reported on “Special Report” that passengers received a warm welcome after reaching Tel Aviv aboard another aircraft. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embraced one of the men who helped stop the suspected attacker.

“I grabbed the attacker, I strangled him, and pulled him out,” the passenger recalled.

Israeli authorities said the co-pilot stabbed the captain in an apparent attempt to crash the aircraft. Despite serious injuries, the captain managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to intervene. Two other pilots eventually landed the plane safely in Saudi Arabia, Paul reported.

FlightRadar data cited by Paul showed the aircraft dropping from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet in about a minute.

“It was very terrifying,” one survivor said. “It's a crazy day. I have to digest it.”

FlyDubai suspended flights to and from Israel while the investigation continues.

President Donald Trump praised the dramatic rescue aboard a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight, recounting how an Israeli plumber reportedly intervened as the aircraft plunged.

“I did speak to [Israeli Prime Minister] Bibi [Benjamin] Netanyahu at length about this event, and it seems as though the copilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job. And he stabbed the pilot,” Trump told reporters during an economic announcement with the commerce secretary.

Trump credited the wounded captain with opening the cockpit door and described the plumber pulling the attacker from his seat before passengers restrained him.

“The passengers got him, grabbed him,” Trump said.

He recounted being told the plumber then pulled up on the controls and leveled the aircraft before other pilots took over, while qualifying the account.

“Now this is the story that I heard. I don't know if it's true, but that's the story that I got from Bibi,” Trump said.

Trump said the passenger credited watching “Air Disasters” with knowing what to do.

“Tell me this is the craziest thing,” Trump said.

“I think it's the most amazing story.”

Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., compared the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight attack to United Flight 93, praising passengers who intervened while raising questions about cockpit security.

“It could have been United 93,” Sheehy said on “The Story.” “Thank God we had people on the plane that had the courage to stand up.”

Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL and commercial pilot, said reinforced cockpit doors designed to prevent intruders from entering can also hinder passengers trying to stop an attacker already inside.

“It's sometimes interesting when the security precautions we've taken to make planes safer actually end up being the impediment,” he said.

Sheehy also praised the wounded captain’s efforts to resist the attack, alert air traffic control and open the cockpit door.

“He's fighting off a knife attack and trying to keep the plane under control and changing the squawk code and opening the door,” he said.

Sheehy suggested online radicalization could have played a role, though the attacker’s motive and any extremist connections remained under investigation.

“It could have been much worse,” he said.

A passenger aboard the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight described crushing G-forces and panicked cries of “blood everywhere” as the aircraft plunged during the suspected hijacking.

Adam Polo told “America Reports” the drop initially felt like a normal air pocket, then quickly became drastic.

“You really felt like the G-Force,” he said, comparing the sensation to an “extreme roller coaster.”

Polo said the aircraft’s electricity, air conditioning and entertainment systems shut off immediately. Moments later, passengers near the cockpit began shouting.

“They started to shout that there's stabbing and that there is blood everywhere,” he recalled. Polo was sitting in row 13, just two rows behind the passenger who helped subdue the suspected attacker.

Democratic lawmakers praised the captain and passengers who helped stop the attack aboard a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight, with Rep. Josh Gottheimer calling their actions “nothing short of heroic.”

“Israeli passengers rushed the cockpit and stopped the attack, saving almost 200 lives,” Gottheimer, D-N.J., wrote on X. “Thank God everyone is safe, and I'm praying for the captain's full recovery. Terror will never win.”

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., called the incident a “clear act of terrorism by a madman who tried to hijack a plane to kill innocent people and attack the state of Israel.”

“The passengers who stepped in to save the lives of everyone onboard deserve our full praise,” Moskowitz wrote, also wishing the injured pilot a speedy recovery.

Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., thanked the passengers who helped “avert a tragedy” and applauded Saudi Arabia’s “professionalism and diplomacy” in handling the emergency landing.

The cockpit attack aboard a Dubai-to-Israel flight put American aviation security in the spotlight, but there was no indication yet of heightened concerns for U.S. flights or airports, Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy reported.

Speaking on “The Story” before President Trump’s remarks, Doocy was asked whether the incident had prompted increased concern about American aviation.

“No indication of that yet,” he said.

Doocy said coordination with allies and Americans’ safety abroad were priorities for the president.

“The president wants to show that he is coordinating with allies, that Americans are safe when they travel abroad,” he said.

Trump later told reporters during an economic announcement with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick that he had spoken “at length” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the incident.

“I think it's the most amazing story,” Trump said, praising the captain and passengers who intervened.

Passengers who fought their way toward the cockpit of the plunging Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight displayed “the best of humanity,” retired naval aviator Greg Glaros said.

Speaking on “The Will Cain Show,” Glaros praised the wounded captain for unlocking the cockpit door and the passengers who worked together to stop the attacker.

“This was a remarkable day,” he said, drawing a comparison to the passengers who fought back aboard United Flight 93 on Sept. 11.

Glaros also described the physical challenge of reaching the cockpit during a steep dive, saying negative G-forces could leave passengers struggling to move through the cabin.

“I cannot imagine what was going on,” he said, describing people trying to “crawl and claw their way to that cockpit.”

“A remarkable effort by those passengers.”

Glaros said investigators would need to examine the co-pilot’s mental state and intentions, expressing confidence that Israeli, Saudi and U.S. authorities would cooperate to establish what happened.

Fox News contributor Paul Mauro said investigators should examine whether Iran had any role in the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight attack, while stressing the broader diplomatic stakes for the United Arab Emirates.

Speaking with Martha MacCallum on “The Story,” the former NYPD intelligence official described the cockpit violence as “almost certainly” an attack and “potentially a jihadi incident.”

“You do have to expand the playing field here a little bit,” Mauro said, raising a possible Iranian connection as a question for investigators. He offered no evidence linking Iran to the flight attack.

Mauro also pointed to flydubai’s government ownership, saying the incident could embarrass the UAE amid its normalized relations with Israel.

“The nations in that part of the world are very proud of their national airlines,” he said. “So this is potentially an embarrassment to that government.”

Israel’s defense minister called the cockpit attack aboard a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight an “attempted jihadist terrorist attack” as investigators worked to determine why a pilot allegedly tried to bring down the aircraft.

Fox News foreign correspondent Jeff Paul reported on “America Reports” that Defense Minister Israel Katz used that description, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker intended to crash the plane with everyone aboard.

Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other as the flight approached Israel and credited Israeli passengers with stepping in to subdue the attacker.

FlyDubai said an on-duty crew traveling aboard the aircraft took the controls and landed it safely in Saudi Arabia, according to Paul.

“The biggest unknown right now in everyone's mind is why this pilot decided to attack the captain of this aircraft,” Paul said. “And more importantly, what were his intentions behind it?”

Paul also reported that U.S. officials were coordinating with counterparts overseas and that DHS said there were currently no credible threats against the United States.

Israel plans to strengthen security checks on every pilot flying into the country, including those operating foreign airlines, after the attack aboard a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office told Reuters.

“Every pilot that is going to be flying into Israel, we are going to know the pilots' identities, know who they are, and do some type of security check,” spokesman Doron Spielman said.

Netanyahu instructed authorities to ramp up security on flights operated by both Israeli and foreign carriers, according to Spielman.

Israeli officials said the FlyDubai co-pilot stabbed the captain and attempted to crash the aircraft before passengers helped subdue him. Other pilots aboard landed the plane safely in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi authorities arrested and interrogated the co-pilot, Netanyahu said. The motive remained unclear, and FlyDubai cautioned against “premature speculation.”

Fox News’ Lauren Sennet contributed to this report.

Passengers aboard the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight were just seconds from catastrophe before a father helped pull the aircraft out of its dive, Netanyahu spokesman Doron Spielman told Fox News’ “The Story.”

Spielman said the passenger, a plumber returning from a family trip, reached the cockpit and pulled a lever after recognizing what to do from watching television.

“We're talking probably a range of three seconds,” Spielman said, describing the difference between celebrating the rescue and planning funerals.

He also credited the stabbed captain with apparently using his foot to activate the switch that unlocked the cockpit door, allowing passengers to intervene.

“What is not up for investigation is the bravery of the people on this plane,” Spielman said. “They are heroes in Israel.”

Spielman said investigators were examining the co-pilot’s motive and whether he acted alone. The suspect remained in Saudi Arabia, and Israel would participate in the investigation, he said.

Israeli leaders were also reviewing security for Israeli and foreign airlines carrying Israelis during the holiday travel season.

“We will get to the bottom of this,” Spielman said.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry credited an Indian captain, Israeli passengers and Emirati crew members with joining forces to save 174 lives aboard FlyDubai Flight 1073.

Capt. Smit Machchhar fought back after being stabbed in the cockpit and unlocked the door despite severe injuries, allowing passengers and crew to intervene, the ministry said on X.

“This man is a hero,” the ministry wrote. “Together, their extraordinary courage saved 174 lives.”

The ministry highlighted the nationalities of those who helped stop the attacker aboard the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight.

“Indian. Israeli. Emirati. Different nationalities. One extraordinary act of courage,” it wrote.

It also wished Machchhar “a full and speedy recovery.”