A flight bound for Israel was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after officials say it was targeted in a mid-air terror attack.
Reportedly, the co-pilot stabbed the captain, who then fell onto the plane's controls, causing the plane to suddenly plunge in the sky.
BREAKING: A flight bound for Israel makes an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after a midair cockpit incident triggers fears of a possible hijacking and prompts Israel to scramble fighter jets.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 30, 2026
One passenger tells Fox they believe the co-pilot stabbed the captain, who then fell… pic.twitter.com/RT08hQ9ePG
"The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu putting out a statement saying that situation is now under control after that plane was safely diverted to Saudi Arabia," said Jeff Paul. "But what remains unclear is what led to that emergency call coming from the cockpit that then forced Israel to scramble fighter jets and fears that it had been hijacked."
Paul said there are several different accounts from passengers who were on the packed flight.
"One spoke to Fox News, telling us the co-pilot of FlyDubai Flight FZ1073 stabbed the captain of the plane who then collapsed onto the controls," Paul continued. "That then shut down the entire instrument panel, according to this witness. The passenger says the plane began plunging downward for several minutes and there was a lot of screaming on board and at one point the power went out, and many on board thought they were going to die."
Videos from inside the plane are now circulating, showing the chaos that unfolded on board following the attack.
🚨 BREAKING: A pilot aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv attacked the other pilot and attempted to seize control of the aircraft in terror attack.
— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) September 30, 2026
The plane, carrying 174 Israeli passengers, plunged 14,000 feet before the situation was brought under control and… pic.twitter.com/FAgyt7dOpK
Israeli authorities confirmed they're treating this incident as a terror attack. Crew members and passengers broke through the cockpit door to subdue the co-pilot.
Israeli authorities are treating the FlyDubai cockpit incident as a terror attack, based on security assessments and passenger testimony. The co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain repeatedly. Crew members and passengers broke through the cockpit door and subdued him.
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) September 30, 2026
N12
It's being reported that passengers who were also pilots were able to land the plane in Saudi Arabia.
Pilots in civilian clothes who were passengers landed the plane!
— 🇺🇸Washington State Facts ➕🇺🇸 (@TurnSeattleRed) September 30, 2026
Passenger testimony:
“We are currently in Saudi Arabia. One of the crew members attacked the pilot with a knife and disabled the aircraft’s systems. Yaniv and another passenger stormed the cockpit and subdued the… https://t.co/UnA4PGOCyQ
Fox News posted pictures of a passenger with blood on his shirt, and the outlet reported that an Israeli official told the Associated Press that Israel believes the incident was possibly an attempt to attack Israelis. The plane was carrying dozens of Israeli citizens.