A co-pilot attacked an Indian pilot with an axe on a flight to Israel on Wednesday. The plane fell 13,000 feet before passengers helped regain control. Benjamin Netanyahu said, “As the plane approached Israel, one of the co-pilots stabbed or hit with an axe the other pilot, an Indian pilot.”
The flight from Dubai to Israel plunged approximately 13,000 feet in 30 seconds after the pilot lost control of the aircraft
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The co-pilot who allegedly tried to hijack a flight to Israel on Wednesday attacked his fellow pilot with an axe, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed as questions loomed over the motives and background of the assailant.
“As [the plane] approached Israel, one of the co-pilots stabbed or hit with an axe the other pilot, an Indian pilot,” the Israeli premier told CBS News on Wednesday, hours after the attack.
“The pilot that was hit, bleeding profusely, fighting for his life, managed to unlock the pilot's door,” he said, hailing captain Smit Machchhar, who was seriously injured in the attack, as a hero.
It remains unclear how the pilot gained access to a weapon and some analysts have suggested it may have been the emergency axe kept in the cockpit in case of emergency.
Passenger Daniel Schlichter told Fox News on Thursday that the cabin was alerted to the attack by a woman and her daughter who happened to see what was going on while heading to the lavatory on board.
“There was a woman with a daughter going to the toilet, and a few seconds after that, she pulled her daughter back to the passenger area, screaming, 'He stabbed the pilot!” he told the US outlet.
Top story: Israeli passenger says he knew what to do on flydubai plane after watching TV show
A passenger who helped save a flight carrying more than 170 people to Tel Aviv from crashing says he knew how to stabilise a nose-diving aircraft after watching an aircrash TV show.
Yaniv Hayun, 50, is being hailed in Israel as a hero after he and three other Israeli passengers managed to subdue the co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073, who had stabbed its captain, before pulling up the jet's steering control to right it.
He told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met him at the airport, that the stabbed pilot probably managed to open the cockpit door before collapsing.
"One (pilot) was down and one was on the controls, and another person came in with me, I grabbed the assailant and put him in a chokehold, and pulled him out," he told Netanyahu, in a video of their meeting distributed by Netanyahu's office.
He and a few other people subdued the co-pilot and then he returned to pull up the unmanned steering control of the plane, Hayun said, his shirt still blood-stained from the fight.
Asked how he knew what to do in the moments before another pilot aboard, whom other passengers identified as a British man called James, took control, Hayun said: "I watch Air Crash Investigation, Mr Prime Minister."
James Reynolds2 October 2026 02:00
Four Americans were aboard Israel-bound plane: reports
Four Americans were aboard the Israel-bound plane that a pilot allegedly attempted to hijack Wednesday, according to reports.
The four passengers on the Flydubai flight were US-Israeli dual citizens, US officials told CNN and NewsNation.
James Reynolds2 October 2026 01:00
Watch: Passengers film moments after suspected hijacking on Israel-bound flight
James Reynolds2 October 2026 00:00
Catch up: Pilot ‘used axe’ to attack co-pilot before passengers using toilet raised alarm
The co-pilot who allegedly tried to hijack a flight to Israel on Wednesday attacked his fellow pilot with an axe, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed as questions loomed over the motives and background of the assailant.
“As [the plane] approached Israel, one of the co-pilots stabbed or hit with an axe the other pilot, an Indian pilot,” the Israeli premier told CBS News on Wednesday, hours after the attack.
“The pilot that was hit, bleeding profusely, fighting for his life, managed to unlock the pilot's door,” he said, hailing captain Smit Machchhar, who was seriously injured in the attack, as a hero.
It remains unclear how the pilot gained access to a weapon and some analysts have suggested it may have been the emergency axe kept in the cockpit in case of emergency.
James Reynolds1 October 2026 23:00
Recap: Co-pilot of flydubai plane underwent radical Islamist indoctrination, claims Netanyahu
The co-pilot of a passenger jet who stabbed the captain in an apparent attempt to crash the plane as it flew to Israel had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination and was clearly suicidal, Israel's prime minister said Thursday.
Disaster was averted on Wednesday's flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv after the wounded captain managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers to subdue the attacker.
A reserve crew that had been aboard landed the plane, which had more than 170 people on board, at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia.
"We know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination. That appears to be something we are gathering from his personal information," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News.
Two Israeli security officials said Israel's initial assessment was that the co-pilot, identified by Israel as an Omani national, was likely acting alone, though the investigation was still ongoing.
James Reynolds1 October 2026 22:00
Saudi probe indicates flydubai co-pilot assaulted captain, interior ministry says
Saudi Arabia's interior ministry, which is investigating the FlyDubai incident, has released a statement saying preliminary investigations show the planes co-pilot assaulted the captain.
The statement which the ministry says "comes from an official source" says the incident "resulted in various injuries to both".
It says both men were both treated in hospital for injuries and left for Abu Dhabi this morning after receiving medical clearance.
The statement adds: "The Kingdom handles emergency situations in accordance with its international and humanitarian obligations, as well as the regulations and directives adopted by the relevant authorities."
Maryam Zakir-Hussain1 October 2026 21:42
Watch: Trump calls Israeli co-pilot hijacker 'a terrorist or a whack job' after stabbing pilot
James Reynolds1 October 2026 21:00
What we know: What happened on the hijacked Israel flight and who was behind it?
A pilot on an Israel-bound flight stabbed another pilot and may have deliberately tried to crash the plane before passengers wrestled back control and the aircraft landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
Flydubai flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when it suddenly plummeted 14,000ft in less than 30 seconds, before putting out an emergency signal and changing course over Jordan.
Israeli officials said the co-pilot of the Boeing 737 plane is believed to have stabbed the captain in a possible attempted ‘terror attack’ with around 150 Israeli passengers on board.
Here’s what we know - and what we don’t:
What happened on the hijacked Israel flight and who was behind it?
Israeli officials said the co-pilot of a plane carrying 150 passengers tried to crash the aircraft before he was subdued
James Reynolds1 October 2026 20:00
I’m an airline safety expert. Here’s how the FlyDubai incident should have been prevented
I’m an aviation security expert with 40 years’ experience in the industry. My expertise is in how the U.S. system works.
But much of what has been put in place in the U.S. after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 has been implemented in some form as best practice across the world.
Here is how airlines and authorities mitigate the risks:
Airline expert on how the FlyDubai incident should have been prevented
Passengers and crew subdued the alleged attacker as the Israel-bound plane dropped from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet in about a minute
James Reynolds1 October 2026 19:00
Analysis: Only Netanyahu gains from the FlyDubai hijacking attempt
The FlyDubai hijacking attempt serves only one man’s interests - Israel’s Prime Minister seeking re-election, World affairs editor Sam Kiley explains
Only Netanyahu gains from the FlyDubai hijacking attempt
The FlyDubai hijacking attempt serves only one man’s interests - Israel’s Prime Minister seeking re-election, World affairs editor Sam Kiley explains