New details are emerging about the serious incident on Flydubai flight FZ1073, which was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. During the flight, the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and then attempted to interfere with the aircraft’s systems.
Indian captain Smit Machar, who was injured during the struggle, is being treated at a hospital in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and is reported to be in stable condition. The Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Indian Consulate in Jeddah have said they are closely monitoring the situation and are in contact with the pilot’s family.
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Passengers said the tension erupted inside the cockpit at a moment when the aircraft had begun losing altitude. Although injured, the captain managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to intervene.
Yaniv Hayyoun, one of the passengers, said that when he entered the cockpit, he saw the co-pilot attempting to damage the aircraft’s equipment. He said he grabbed him by the neck and pulled him out of the cockpit, while other passengers joined him to subdue the suspect.
To prevent the suspect from interfering again, passengers used various means to restrain and immobilize him until the flight ended.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the response of the captain and the passengers, describing it as an intervention that averted a catastrophe on a massive scale.
During an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu said he had met Yaniv Hayyoun after the incident and that Hayyoun had told him he worked as a plumber. According to the Israeli prime minister, Hayyoun’s actions and those of the other passengers “prevented another 9/11.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry described the incident as an “attempted terrorist attack.” According to this assessment, Israelis, the United Arab Emirates and the Abraham Accords may have been the targets. However, authorities have not yet officially determined the co-pilot’s motives, as the investigation is ongoing.
Following the confrontation in the cockpit, Flydubai announced the temporary suspension of all flights to and from Israel. The company said a conflict had occurred in the cockpit, but the crew managed to regain control of the situation and land the aircraft safely at Tabuk airport.
Two replacement aircraft were sent to Saudi Arabia to return the passengers and crew to Israel. The repatriation flight departed Tabuk at 5:40 p.m. local time and arrived in Tel Aviv approximately one hour later.
A female passenger described the panic experienced at the time, saying that the aircraft began losing altitude and that many passengers believed the pilots were no longer in control of the plane.
A pilot interviewed by Israeli television claimed that the co-pilot was an Omani national and had been hired by Flydubai approximately eight months earlier. He also spoke about the suspect’s behavior, but these statements have not been confirmed by authorities and do not constitute an official conclusion about the motives behind the attack.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he had held a lengthy conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu about the incident. Trump said it was still unclear whether the co-pilot had intended to crash the aircraft, adding that some of the information he conveyed had come from Netanyahu and other sources.
Flight FZ1073 was diverted to Tabuk and landed without incident. The injured captain was taken to hospital, while the co-pilot was arrested. Authorities are continuing their investigation to fully clarify what happened inside the cockpit and the reasons behind the attack.
