Indian Captain Smit Machchhar of a Dubai-Tel Aviv Flydubai flight fought off his co-pilot who allegedly attempted to crash the aircraft, which made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.
Hailing Machchhar as a "true hero", Netanyahu said that "despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster."
"He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals. I wish Captain Machchhar a speedy and full recovery. He is a true hero," the prime minister said.
"My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery," he said.
Netanyahu earlier said one of the pilots stabbed the other and apparently attempted to crash the aircraft with passengers on board.
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana said the people of Israel were praying for Machchhar, the Indian pilot who fought off his co-pilot's mid-air attack. "In a moment of terror, he showed extraordinary courage. Today, our hearts are with him and his family," he said in a post on X.
Videos circulated on social media showed the pilot drenched in blood, wearing an oxygen mask and lying on his back in the galley of the aircraft.
In his earlier statement, Netanyahu said an Israeli passenger told him that the aircraft went into a spin and began descending, after which the passenger and a crew member managed to break into the cockpit and together overpowered the pilot who had carried out the stabbing while he was attempting to sabotage the aircraft's systems.
According to Netanyahu, another crew member then entered the cockpit and helped stabilise the aircraft. "I salute these heroes who demonstrated extraordinary resourcefulness and courage. They saved many lives and prevented a major disaster,” he said.
The aircraft landed safely at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia and all passengers were out of danger, Netanyahu said. He had met his security chiefs to discuss the situation.
He also said the pilot who carried out the stabbing had been arrested and was being questioned by Saudi authorities.
The Flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, transmitted emergency signals and made a sharp descent before diverting to Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz Airport in Tabuk.
The flight was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children.
Flydubai confirmed that the aircraft had experienced an in-flight "altercation" and landed safely in Tabuk.
"The aircraft was successfully secured by on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely at Tabuk Airport (TUU). All passengers and crew are safe and accounted for," it said.
The airline said it was cooperating with the relevant authorities and that all passengers were safe.
"At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation. We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts,” the airline said.
Tabuk airport authorities said the captain and first officer sustained injuries and were immediately transferred to a hospital for medical care. They added that passengers were provided with the necessary assistance at the terminal.
Israeli authorities feared a possible hijacking and scrambled Israeli Air Force fighter jets. The incident remains under investigation.
Hours later, the passengers returned to Tel Aviv on a Flydubai rescue flight.
Several defence officials insisted on sending an Israeli rescue aircraft to bring the passengers to Israel. However, Saudi authorities denied permission for an Israeli rescue aircraft, The Jerusalem Post reported.
At Ben Gurion International Airport, Netanyahu met a passenger who broke into the cockpit and helped overpower the attacker.
The passengers told Netanyahu that the captain managed to open the cockpit door before collapsing after being stabbed. They then entered and overpowered the hijacker before he could crash the plane.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the incident aboard the plane “was a jihadist terrorist attack attempt, which was thwarted only thanks to the bravery of several Israeli passengers who broke into the cockpit and overpowered the terrorist".
Video clips circulated by Israeli media showed passengers moving towards the front of the plane, while others could be heard shouting and asking what was happening.
The seat layout and design are consistent with a Flydubai Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, according to BBC Verify.
Flight-tracking data analysed by BBC Verify showed the aircraft cruising at about 34,000 feet before descending more than 17,000 feet in less than two minutes. The aircraft subsequently transmitted emergency signals, including a code indicating possible unlawful interference.
In a video circulated on Israeli social media, a man with blood on his face filmed himself saying, "We're here – the plane – we’ve just taken control of the terrorists. We’re about to land. Anyone who hears me: we need help. We’re landing in Tabuk."
Zvika Manes, a passenger who said he helped subdue the alleged attacker, told Israeli financial newspaper Calcalist that his wife heard shouting and screams near the cockpit before he and others intervened.
“I’m covered in blood. It was insane,” he said, according to Ynet.
Another passenger, Dalia Shpigel, told Israeli newspaper Haaretz that there were “terrible screams throughout the plane” before “three to five guys burst into the cockpit” and subdued the attacker.
Daniel, an Israeli passenger, said two off-duty pilots who were on the plane took control of the flight after the attacker was overpowered.
“The spinning stopped. It took some — I don’t know, it felt like an eternity, but I think it was two minutes, at least two or three minutes, during which the plane was simply diving and spinning like crazy,” Daniel was quoted as saying by The Times of Israel.
“It felt like, that’s it. It’s over. September 11 is happening again.”
Noa Shpigel, a journalist with the Haaretz newspaper, told the BBC that her 74-year-old mother was travelling on the Flydubai flight from Kathmandu via Dubai to Israel.
After learning about the incident, Shpigel spoke to her mother, who said passengers realised something was wrong when the aircraft began “to jump in the air” and then “dive down”.
She said they quickly understood that something was very wrong in the cockpit. Several young Israeli men sitting at the front of the aircraft then entered the cockpit and took control, Shpigel told the BBC.
Israeli Opposition leader Yair Lapid said a warning about increased terrorist activity abroad, which he was briefed about before the Flydubai incident, had nothing to do with the events aboard the aircraft.
“The warning about activity abroad is specific, has been in place for more than two years, and has nothing to do with planes or anything resembling what happened this morning,” Lapid said in a post on X.
He said nothing resembling the incident was discussed during a security briefing with Netanyahu on Tuesday.
“Nothing that even resembles this morning's plane incident appeared in last night's security update with the Prime Minister. Not similar, not reminiscent, not even hinted at,” Lapid said.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich demanded action against “whoever tried to crash a plane and murder 180 Israelis."
(With inputs from PTI, AFP and AP)