The Flydubai pilot who stabbed his co-pilot during a flight to Tel Aviv has been arrested and is being questioned by Saudi authorities, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Main facts about the incident.

Circumstances

- A Flydubai passenger plane en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv signaled an emergency on Wednesday morning, according to Channel 12.

- The pilots first transmitted code 7700, signaling a general emergency, before transmitting code 7500, indicating a possible hijacking.

- No further updates about the flight were available afterwards.

- There were approximately 180 passengers on board, Channel 12 said. Israeli authorities denied the plane permission to land, and it was diverted to Saudi Arabia near Jordanian airspace.

- Fighter jets were scrambled after the distress signal, the TV channel reported.

- The plane had reached the border of Jordan before it was diverted to Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia without actually entering Jordanian airspace, data from Flightradar24 indicated. No further updates about the flight were available afterwards.

- The plane landed at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, a source in a Middle Eastern air traffic control service told TASS.

- Flydubai later confirmed to TASS that the flight had landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

- All passengers are safe, the airline told TASS.

- The plane’s captain and co-pilot were hospitalized with injuries, Saudi airport operator Cluster 2 said.

- Flydubai confirmed to TASS that a conflict broke out in the cockpit.

- Other crew members on board took control of the aircraft.

Versions of what happened

- Channel 12 reported that Flydubai’s plane sent a distress signal and turned around over Saudi Arabia because the pilots had gotten into a fight.

- The TV channel said the initial hijacking theory is now being ruled out, while the circumstances remain under investigation.

- Channel 14 reported that one of the pilots may have deliberately tried to crash the plane, which could have triggered the incident.

- The TV channel said early investigative findings indicated that one pilot had suddenly put the aircraft into a steep dive.

- The aircraft, flying at about 10,000 meters, rapidly descended to 4,500 meters.

- The descent occurred at nearly the speed of sound.

- Channel 14 said the pilot may have been trying to commit suicide.

- His co-pilot intervened and physically fought him.

- The other pilot took control of the aircraft and saved it from crashing at the last moment.

- The emergency and hijacking signals were sent during the fight, as previously reported.

- The Flydubai pilot who made the emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on the way from Dubai to Tel Aviv was stabbed, Israeli broadcaster i24News reported, citing witnesses.

- An Israeli passenger told the broadcaster that screams came from the cockpit one or two hours before the scheduled arrival time.

- Several passengers managed to open the cockpit door and saw "a lot of blood." One of the pilots had been wounded with a pocketknife.

- The aircraft then went out of control for several minutes and began to descend.

- The witness said Israeli passengers helped save the plane from crashing.

- Among them were a nurse and a doctor who provided first aid to the injured pilot, as well as professional pilots who took over control of the aircraft and landed it.

- The attacker was also subdued by passengers, she said.

- The broadcaster also published the first photos taken inside the aircraft after the emergency landing.

- The photos showed passengers in T-shirts stained with blood.

- Israeli law enforcement agencies do not rule out a terrorist attack in connection with the Flydubai incident, Israeli news portal Ynet reported, citing sources.

- The authorities are reviewing all available information, the report said.

- One of the main theories is that one of the pilots attempted suicide and may have had a terrorist motive.

- The pilot suspected of involvement in the incident is being questioned, a Channel 12 reporter wrote on X.

- Channel 14 reported that pilots from the UAE and Oman were operating the Flydubai Boeing 737 MAX that made the emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on the way from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

- The TV channel did not rule out that the Omani pilot is responsible for the incident and may have deliberately tried to cause a crash.

- The other pilot, whom Channel 14 identified as a UAE national, prevented him from doing so, according to the news report.

- The broadcaster, citing unnamed Israeli officials, reported that shortly after the aircraft entered Jordanian airspace, the second pilot, an Omani citizen, stabbed the UAE pilot.

- The sources said the second pilot then tried to take control of the aircraft by force.

- The pilot sent two emergency signals during the confrontation.

- Israeli passengers and crew members soon subdued the second pilot.

- The plane also had two other pilots on board, nationals of South Africa and New Zealand, who ultimately helped land the aircraft in Saudi Arabia.

- The attacker’s intentions and motives remain unknown at this stage.

- The injured Flydubai pilot is an Indian national, Smit Machchhar, the Indian newspaper Hindustan Times reported.

- An Israeli official told the broadcaster that it was unclear what exactly the second pilot had tried to do, whether to hijack the aircraft and fly to Israel, steer it toward the ground or carry out a terrorist attack similar to the 9/11 attacks.

- The official said it was clear that the attacker wanted to hijack the plane, but a major disaster was avoided.

Response and investigation

- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting with Defense Minister Israel Katz and Transport Minister Miri Regev following the incident, Channel 12 said.

- The situation is under control, and measures will be taken to bring the Israeli passengers home, Netanyahu’s office said.

- Flydubai has informed Israeli authorities that a backup plane will soon be sent from the UAE to bring the Israeli passengers home from Saudi Arabia, Ynet reported.

- Flydubai is cooperating with the relevant authorities after the incident, the airline told TASS.

- Israel’s El Al airline offered to send a plane to Saudi Arabia to bring back passengers on the Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Ynet reported, citing the airline.

- Israel will send military aircraft to Saudi Arabia to evacuate Israeli passengers from the Flydubai plane.

- Ynet reported that the Israeli prime minister and defense minister gave the order.

- Israel and Saudi Arabia have no diplomatic relations.

- Israeli authorities regard the incident on the Flydubai aircraft as a "terrorist act," i24News reported, citing unnamed Israeli officials.

- Israel’s transport minister called for the suspension of Flydubai flights to Israel following the incident, N12 reported.

- The TV channel said a "sharp discussion" took place between the transport minister and representatives of Israel’s General Security Service Shin Bet during a security meeting.

- Ynet reported that the transport minister argued that Flydubai had violated the aviation agreement between the UAE and Israel by assigning an Omani pilot to the flight, given that Israel has no diplomatic relations with Oman.

- She called for suspending Flydubai flights to Israel at least until the investigation is completed.

- An aircraft from the UAE landed in Saudi Arabia to pick up Israeli passengers from the Flydubai flight after Riyadh had earlier refused to allow Israeli aircraft to land in the country, Israel Hayom reported.

- Ynet reported that another Flydubai aircraft had also landed in Saudi Arabia to operate an evacuation flight to Israel.

- Israeli passengers began boarding the Flydubai evacuation flight in Saudi Arabia, N12 reported.

- The channel said the aircraft was expected to arrive in Israel at about 3:00 p.m. GMT.

- Ynet reported that some Israelis were refusing to board the Emirati aircraft in Saudi Arabia.

- Saudi security services began checking the credentials of Flydubai pilots who arrived in Saudi Arabia to evacuate the Israelis, Israel Hayom reported.

- Netanyahu had instructed security agencies to prepare for additional potential threats after the incident on the Flydubai aircraft.

- He said Saudi authorities had arrested the Flydubai pilot who stabbed his co-pilot during the flight to Tel Aviv and are questioning him.

- The Israeli defense minister described the incident as an attempted terrorist attack aimed at destroying the aircraft with all its passengers.

- Flydubai sent two backup aircraft to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, to pick up the passengers and crew, the airline’s press service told TASS.

- The airline said the motives behind the incident remain unknown and that an official investigation is underway.

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