A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia Wednesday morning after an incident took place inside the cockpit, an Israeli security source told ABC News.
An Israeli security source confirmed to ABC News there was a violent altercation on the flight and that Israel is investigating the incident as a potential terror incident.
The flight landed in Tabuk, in northwestern Saudi Arabia, after being diverted.
“This morning, a serious security incident occurred on a flight from Dubai to Israel,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement Wednesday afternoon. “Almost all the passengers on board were Israelis.”
“One of the pilots stabbed the other and apparently attempted to crash the plane with everyone on it,” Netanyahu added. “I spoke with one of the Israeli passengers. He told me that the plane went into a spin and began to dive.”
“He managed to break into the cockpit with one of the crew members, and together they subdued the pilot who had committed the stabbing while he was attempting to sabotage the aircraft’s systems,” Netanyahu continued. “Another flight crew member on board entered the cockpit and managed to stabilize the plane.”
“I salute the heroes on the flight from Dubai who demonstrated resourcefulness and courage. I have instructed the security establishment to prepare for potential additional threats,” Netanyahu said in the statement.
“The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel,” Netanyahu’s office added.
The flight, which was carrying mostly Israeli passengers, took off at 7:05 a.m. local time from Dubai, according to Flightradar24.
Tracking data showed the aircraft descended rapidly from 34,000 to 16,000 feet in three minutes.
About 10 minutes after the initial descent, the plane’s squawk code — used by aircraft to communicate with air traffic control — changed to “general emergency.” Seven minutes after that, the squawk code changed again, indicating a hijacking or “unlawful interference.”Â
The aircraft then continued to fly lower at 15,000 feet on average until it landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, about an hour to an hour and a half after the rapid descent began and the emergency signals were sent.
FlyDubai confirmed that the flight “experienced an incident while en route,” and landed in Tabuk.
“Just about an hour or two before landing, we heard screams from the plane. Someone started screaming … we just heard screams, and they opened the cockpit and saw amounts of blood from someone who had simply tried to murder the pilot and stabbed him with a pocketknife. Then the plane lost control,” a passenger told Israeli media.
“We felt like we were, like, going to crash. I was already screaming, “Shema Israel” and saying, “I can’t die, I’m my only daughter, I can’t do this to my mother,” the woman added.
An Israeli security source confirmed to ABC News that the Israel Defense Forces recommended that a military aircraft be sent to repatriate Israeli passengers from Saudi Arabia.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Victoria Beaule and David Brennan contributed to this report.
Â
