In brief
A stabbIng pilot on a Dubai‑to‑Tel Aviv Flydubai flight was stopped by passengers who forced him out of the cockpit. Passenger Yaniv Hayun recounted how he and others placed the attacker in a chokehold and pulled him from the cockpit, then pulled the plane’s controls as the two on‑board pilots took over. The aircraft leveled and eventually landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia before passengers were flown back to Tel Aviv. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the passengers and pilots as heroes, while authorities arrested the attacker. The incident has been described as an "attempted jihadist terror attack," though no motive has been released.
Passengers on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv recounted how they subdued a stabbIng pilot who had attacked a fellow pilot on board. According to the account, the attacker tried to disable the aircraft, but passengers intervened before the plane could plunge.
"Someone screamed... the light went out," Yaniv Hayun, a passenger, told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He said the aircraft suddenly dropped 17,000 feet in less than two minutes.
"I grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold, and pulled him out," Hayun described, as his colleagues pinned the attacker to keep him secure. When the injured pilot finally managed to open the cockpit door, the group forced the attacker out and secured the cockpit.
Hayun then entered the cockpit and began pulling the controls to level the plane. Two on‑board pilots, who had been in the passenger cabin, later took control and landed the aircraft safely.
Prime Minister Netanyahu praised the passengers and pilots as heroes, calling them “great heroes” and a “lion.” The attacker was arrested and is being questioned by Saudi authorities, while Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described the incident as an “attempted jihadist terror attack.” No motive has yet been disclosed.
The flight landed at Tabuk airport, Saudi Arabia, before the passengers were flown back to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, where they were met by cheering crowds. Many passengers described the moment as terrifying and emotional, with some crying upon disembarking.
