Passengers aboard a Tel Aviv-bound flight that made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after one of its pilots allegedly attempted to crash it in what Israeli authorities are calling a “attempted jihadist terror attack” have recounted their horror as the plane plunged several thousand feet in a few seconds.
Flydubai flight FZ103 was two hours into its journey from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the alleged attack unfolded.
Passenger testimony from the Flydubai flight: pic.twitter.com/1bcQR89HB5
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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.
But Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said: “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.”
Speaking to Hebrew media, one passenger said: “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.”
Another recounted: “Screams began on the plane… by passengers who realised what was happening. We understand that one of the pilots was stabbed and seriously wounded, and they lost control of the plane... it was very scary.”
According to testimonies and videos from onboard, passengers managed to enter the cockpit and subdue the attacker, tying him up, whilst others tended to the injured pilot.
Videos show a man, covered in blood, lying on the floor with passengers attending to him.
One passenger said: “The entire cockpit was covered in blood. The Israeli guys took control of the situation and caught the attacker.
"We were either going to crash or be murdered. It was like a terrorist attack in mid-air."
Another passenger, Almog Itali, told the media that two passengers sitting at the back of the plane were pilots who were due to be operating a subsequent flight.
He added that one of them he believed to be British, and the other was European, but their exact nationality remains unknown.
Itali said the pair managed to stabilise the plane and ultimately landed it in Saudi Arabia.
It has been confirmed that the flight had an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia at 6.44am BST, with all passengers safe and accounted for, according to the airline.
The captain and co-pilot are currently said to be receiving medical attention in a Saudi hospital.
Describing what happened prior, Itali said: “There are quite a few versions... What is clear is that there were two pilots in the front - one stabbed the other.”
Before control of the flight was regained, the plane plummeted 17,000 feet within two minutes.
The rapid descent triggered an emergency response, and air traffic control cleared the airspace for the flight to land at Tabuk Airport.
A spokesperson for 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 enroute.
“The aircraft has landed safely at 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.”
Other accounts from passengers on the ground say they are “being treated well” by the Saudis, and being “looked after”.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the Israeli Air Force had prepared to intervene, writing at the time: “The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel,” a spokesperson said.
“Following concerns of an aviation incident, Netanyahu held discussions on the matter and followed the developments.
“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.”
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.”
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