A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after the co-pilot stabbed the captain and tried to crash the jet. Here's what officials say happened.
DUBAI — A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after the co-pilot attacked the captain in the cockpit and attempted to bring the aircraft down, according to passengers and Israeli officials. The Boeing 737 MAX 8, operating as flight 1073 with 180 passengers on board, landed safely in Tabuk after a rapid descent that tracking data showed took the aircraft down more than 17,000 feet in roughly two minutes.
What happened in the cockpit
Speaking in a video statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "as they were approaching Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and apparently attempted to crash the plane with everyone on board." In a later interview with CBS News, he described the attacker as trying to jam equipment between the two pilot seats rather than stabilize the aircraft.
The Israel Foreign Ministry identified the wounded captain as Capt. Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, describing him as a "hero" who fought back and unlocked the cockpit door to let passengers and crew intervene. The ministry said their actions "saved 174 lives." India's Ambassador to the UAE, Deepak Mittal, said after meeting the captain that he was reassured, and the Indian embassy said Machchhar was in good health and recovering.
How the flight was secured
Passenger Asaf Rajuan is credited with helping subdue the attacker, and two off-duty pilots traveling in the cabin took control of the aircraft. FlyDubai said only that "an altercation occurred in the flight deck" and that the plane "was successfully secured by on-duty FlyDubai crew traveling on the flight."
Flight tracking data showed the aircraft transmitted an emergency alert shortly after takeoff and descended sharply around 8:21 a.m. local time. An Israeli official told CBS News that the Israeli Air Force detected the aircraft deviating from its path, closed Israeli airspace and scrambled jets within minutes, believing a Sept. 11-style attack was possible. The jets never left Israeli airspace after it became clear the plane had turned toward Saudi Arabia, which scrambled its own aircraft.
The attacker and the investigation
An Omani official confirmed to CBS News that the attacker was born in Oman and holds Omani citizenship, though the Omani government has not publicly confirmed his nationality. He was arrested and handed over to Saudi authorities for questioning. Israeli officials have said they expect to question him as part of the investigation.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz characterized the episode as "an attempted jihadist terror attack," and an Israeli security official said authorities were investigating whether it was a planned attack and whether the attacker acted alone. Netanyahu told Fox News that Israel understood the co-pilot had undergone "Islamist radical indoctrination," but he later cautioned that the motive was still unknown. The Wall Street Journal reported that the attacker had previously been barred from flying by Oman over extremism concerns, citing officials — a claim that has not been independently confirmed by Gloobeam.
Aftermath
No passengers were injured. The captain sustained stab wounds, and Saudi authorities said two crew members were hospitalized with unspecified injuries. FlyDubai deployed replacement aircraft to Tabuk to transport the passengers, and the flight later landed in Tel Aviv, where families gathered to welcome the travelers.
The United Arab Emirates has said it will lead the investigation, which officials said will examine any terrorist activity or prior planning. Reuters contributed to this report.