Passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon said the flydubai aircarft was “pretty much out of control” when one of the pilots tried to stab the other while they were flying over Jordan en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv. File
| Photo Credit: AP
A passenger on a rerouted flydubai flight that was bound for Tel Aviv said one of the pilots tried to crash the plane and kill everyone on board, after both pilots were found to be wounded on landing in Saudi Arabia.
In the first comment by an official, Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, alleged an attempted “terrorist” attack in the incident, in which none of the passengers reported injuries.
The flydubai plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk “at 9:45 a.m. (0645 GMT), and its captain and copilot were found to have injuries and were transported to hospital”, a statement from the company operating the airport said.
Passengers recall nightmare
Passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon said the plane was “pretty much out of control” when one of the pilots tried to stab the other while they were flying over Jordan en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
“So the co-pilot tried to murder the pilot and basically carry out a suicide attack on the plane,” she told reporters by speakerphone held up by her mother who was waiting at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv.
“It was really on the way to crashing, and it was simply the resourcefulness of many people who took control of the co-pilot and neutralised him,” she said.
“There was also a doctor who gave first aid, and people who treated both of them. Other than the pilot, there were no injuries, but the bigger fear was really a crash, which is exactly what he was trying to do.”
Earlier, Yasmin Abukasis, Ohayon’s mother, told AFP her daughter called her from Saudi Arabia: “She said one pilot tried to kill the other pilot with a knife. They heard shouting”.
Another passenger went to the cockpit “and saw a lot of blood. She started screaming ‘come help’ and some people went in and caught the guy”, she added.
In photos sent to AFP by one of the passengers, travellers, including children, are seen gathered in an airport lounge, with some sitting on the floor, while one man is wearing a white T-shirt and jeans stained with blood.
The incident comes as tensions are high across West Asia, amid the regional war that erupted in late February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
It also comes just ahead of close-fought Israeli elections due to be held at the end of October.
Published – September 30, 2026 06:53 pm IST
