Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the co-pilot of a Flydubai aircraft that made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday stabbed the pilot and apparently attempted to crash the plane.
Netanyahu made the claim in a video statement issued by his office on Wednesday afternoon, his first public comment on the incident.
He said the incident occurred as the aircraft approached Israel, adding that “all indications show that he tried to crash the plane” with everyone on board.
According to the Israeli prime minister, the co-pilot was arrested and was being interrogated by Saudi authorities. Israeli officials identified the suspect as the aircraft’s co-pilot.
Flydubai Flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with mostly Israeli passengers, was diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Reuters reported that 172 people were on board, including 169 Israeli citizens.
Netanyahu said an Israeli passenger told him that the aircraft went into a spin and began to descend during the incident.
The passenger reportedly entered the cockpit with a crew member and together they overpowered the suspect, while another crew member subsequently stabilised the aircraft.
Data from Flightradar24 showed that the aircraft dropped nearly 14,000 feet within 30 seconds during the incident.
Netanyahu praised the passengers and crew members who intervened, describing them as “heroes”, and said he had directed Israel’s security establishment to prepare for possible additional threats.
Flydubai said the aircraft was secured by crew members who were on duty during the flight and that all passengers and crew were safe and accounted for.
The airline said the reasons and motives behind the incident were not yet known.
“At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown,” Flydubai said, adding that the matter was subject to a formal investigation.
The captain and first officer were injured and taken to hospital, according to a statement from Tabuk airport carried by Saudi state television.
Israeli officials described the incident as an attempted terror attack, although Netanyahu did not use that term in his statement.
The aircraft had earlier transmitted emergency signals, including one indicating possible unlawful interference, prompting Israel to scramble fighter jets amid concerns that the aircraft could have been hijacked.
The incident comes amid heightened security concerns across the Middle East.
