Israeli authorities have confirmed that Wednesday morning’s hijack alert on a Tel Aviv-bound flight, during which the co-pilot stabbed the captain and tried to bring the plane down, was an “attempt jihadist terror attack”.
The plane, which was carrying around 100 Israeli passengers, transmitted a squawk 7700 emergency code, followed by a 7500 code, which signals unlawful interference with the operation of the aircraft, though it later reverted to the original code.
However, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, said that the incident was not a hijacking and that it was being treated as a terrorist attack.
“Following concerns of an aviation incident, Prime Minister Netanyahu held discussions on the matter and followed the developments,” a spokesman said.
“The incident is under control, and we are now using all means available to bring the Israeli passengers safely to Israel.
“Following situation assessments and passenger testimony, Israeli authorities are treating the incident as a terror attack in every respect
“It appears that the copilot repeatedly stabbed the captain.
“Once the incident began, crew members and numerous passengers managed to breach the cockpit door and overpower the terrorist.”
First images from @flydubai flight: one of the passengers with blood on his shirt https://t.co/zfJ4UsDeaO pic.twitter.com/XDLzuz0DbE
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) September 30, 2026
In a statement of his own, Prime Minister Netanyahu said: “Citizens of Israel, this morning there was an extremely serious security incident on a flight from Dubai to Israel.
“Almost all of the passengers on the flight were Israelis. During the flight, as they approached Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot, and apparently he tried to crash the plane with everyone on board.”
He also said he had spoken to an Israeli who was on board the flight, who stormed the cockpit with a member of staff and subdued the co-pilot, before handing over control of the aircraft to another flight crew, who were on board as passengers.
“I salute these heroes, who displayed extraordinary resourcefulness and courage," Netanyahu said. "They saved many lives and prevented a major disaster.”
This was echoed by Defence Minister Israel Katz, who hailed the bravery of passengers who stormed the cockpit and regained control of the aircraft.
“The serious incident aboard the Flydubai aircraft was an attempted jihadist terrorist attack, which was thwarted only thanks to the bravery of several Israeli passengers who broke into the cockpit, overpowered the terrorist, and with their own hands returned control of the aircraft to an additional flight crew that was present there.
“According to the preliminary information in our possession, the terrorist had one intention: to crash the aircraft with all its passengers aboard.”
The aircraft eventually landed safely at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport, also known as Tabuk, in Saudi Arabia.
Photos from the tarmac show the plane suffered damage to its tail, which is believed to have been caused by its rapid descent rather than by any external object.
The co-pilot is reportedly being questioned, with investigators looking into allegations that he intended to take control of the aircraft and bring it down.
One passenger told the same network: “We heard screams on the plane. Then they opened the cockpit, and we saw blood, and someone had stabbed the pilot with a pocketknife.
“There were also moments when we thought we weren’t going to make it out alive.”
“Screams began on the plane… by passengers who realised what was happening,” said another.
“We understand that one of the pilots was stabbed and seriously wounded, and they lost control of the plane. It started to dive quickly. It was very scary.”
Passenger testimony from the Flydubai flight: pic.twitter.com/1bcQR89HB5
— Emily Schrader - אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) September 30, 2026
Confirming that the IAF had prepared to intervene, the Prime Minister’s Office said: “The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel.”
A spokesperson for the airline, Flydubai, said: “Flydubai can confirm that flight FZ 1073 operating from Dubai International (DXB) to Ben-Gurion Airport (TLV) on 30 September experienced an incident while en route.
“The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk (TUU), and all passengers are safe and accounted for.
“The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority. Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities. Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available.”
Flydubai also confirmed it was sending a second plane to collect the stranded passengers and get them to their destination, though its arrival time was not confirmed.
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