Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video statement Wednesday detailing how an Israeli passenger and crew member broke into the cockpit and neutralized the attacker as the plane spun and began to dive.
“This morning, there was a serious security incident on a flight from Dubai to Israel,” Netanyahu said in Hebrew. “Almost all the passengers on the flight were Israelis.”
Netanyahu said that during the flight, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and “apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board.”
The dramatic incident unfolded aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 traveling from Dubai to Ben Gurion Airport. About an hour and a half into the flight, the aircraft transmitted a general distress signal, code 7700. Minutes later, it switched to code 7500, the international aviation code indicating unlawful interference. The aircraft subsequently disappeared from flight-tracking applications.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
“This morning, there was a serious security incident on a flight from Dubai to Israel. Almost all the passengers on the flight were Israelis. During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the second pilot, and… pic.twitter.com/PrK7f7gS1P— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) September 30, 2026
The aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after transmitting emergency signals and rapidly losing altitude.
Netanyahu said he personally spoke with one of the Israeli passengers who helped stop the attack.
“He told me that the plane went into a spin and began to dive,” Netanyahu said. “He told me that, somehow or other, he managed to break into the cockpit with one of the crew members, and that together they neutralized the stabbing pilot while he was trying to sabotage the plane’s systems.”
“Another flight crew on board entered the cockpit and managed to stabilize the plane,” Netanyahu added.
Netanyahu said the attacking pilot was arrested and is being questioned by Saudi authorities and that the plane landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.
“All passengers are out of danger,” he said. “We are maintaining constant communication with the relevant authorities to ensure the ongoing well-being of the passengers and their safe return home.”
Netanyahu said he has ordered Israel’s security services to prepare for the possibility of additional threats.
“I have instructed the security services to prepare for additional potential threats,” he said. “We are holding ongoing situation assessments, and we will update you as the situation develops.”
Netanyahu also praised the Israeli passenger and crew members who intervened before the plane could be brought down.
“I salute these heroes, who displayed exceptional resourcefulness and courage,” Netanyahu said. “They saved many lives. They prevented a huge disaster.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz said earlier Wednesday that the incident was an attempted “jihadist terrorist attack” and that the alleged attacker intended to crash the aircraft with all of its passengers aboard.
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