Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the “heroes” who stormed the cockpit to prevent the hijacking of a Flydubai flight in his first address since the incident and revealed that Saudi authorities were interrogating the pilots.
In his video address, Netanyahu cleared up the flurry of details that had emerged about the “extremely serious security incident.” On Wednesday morning, a pilot on a flight to Israel stabbed his copilot, then apparently tried to crash the plane, he said. He said that “almost all” of the passengers were Israelis and were only saved when a passenger and crew member managed to break into the cockpit, stopping the pilot as he attempted to damage the plane’s systems. After subduing the pilot, another crew member entered the cockpit and stabilized the plane.
Netanyahu revealed that he spoke with the Israeli passenger who broke into the cockpit, who recalled that he stormed the cockpit after the aircraft went into a spin and started to dive.
“I salute these heroes, who displayed extraordinary resourcefulness and courage,” Netanyahu said. “They saved many lives and prevented a major disaster.”
“We are in continuous contact with the relevant authorities to guarantee the continued safety of the passengers and their safe return home,” he said, adding that the Israeli assessment was ongoing. Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister is holding a meeting with his security chiefs about the incident.
The plane was diverted and landed in Saudi Arabia, where the pilot is now being interrogated by Saudi authorities, the prime minister announced. A flight has taken off with the stranded passengers to get them back to Israel.
Videos posted on social media showed the passengers being tended to by Saudi medics after landing in Tabuk.
While Netanyahu didn’t speculate as to a motive, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz was quick to jump to a conclusion, describing the incident as a “jihadist terrorist attack attempt.”
“The grave incident on the flydubai plane was a jihadist terrorist attack attempt, 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, restored control of the plane to another flight crew who was present there,” he said in a statement.
“According to the initial information in our possession, the terrorist had one intention: to crash the plane with all its passengers,” Katz added.
ISRAEL-BOUND FLIGHT FORCED TO LAND IN SAUDI ARABIA AFTER ‘VIOLENT INCIDENT’ BETWEEN PILOTS
According to Israel Hayom, Israeli officials have designated the copilot as a terrorist, and the Israeli Air Force is preparing rescue planes for the passengers. By its account, current assessments indicate that the Omani copilot attempted to seize control of the aircraft from the Emirati pilot, setting off a violent brawl in the cockpit. All Flydubai aircrews are undergoing background inspections.
The outlet reported another odd detail — the crew members who landed the plane were a Russian and a Ukrainian, who were traveling as passengers.
