On Wednesday, September 30th, a Dubai-bound plane to Israel experienced an extremely serious security incident. According to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, one pilot stabbed another pilot with a knife and attempted to crash the plane, causing it to plummet at an extremely fast speed. At a critical moment of life and death, passengers and crew on board successfully broke into the cockpit, subdued the assailant, and gained control of the aircraft, averting a major disaster.
Netanyahu addressed the incident in a video statement on Wednesday, stating, “This morning, a flight from Dubai to Israel experienced an extremely serious security incident. Almost all passengers on board were Israelis. During the flight as the plane approached Israeli airspace, one pilot stabbed another pilot. He (the perpetrator) apparently tried to crash the plane along with the passengers.”
“I spoke with an Israeli passenger on board. He told me that the plane was spiraling out of control and descending at the time. He said that despite the slim chances of success at that moment, he and a crew member managed to break into the cockpit and together subdued the knife-wielding pilot. The pilot was attempting to sabotage the plane’s systems. Subsequently, other crew members also entered the cockpit and successfully stabilized the aircraft,” Netanyahu said.
“I salute these heroes who displayed exceptional wit and courage. They saved many lives and prevented a major disaster,” he said. He also ordered increased security measures for Israeli and non-Israeli airlines flying to Israel.
The Prime Minister further stated that the plane safely landed at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, and all passengers are safe. The pilot who committed the act has been arrested and is currently undergoing interrogation by Saudi authorities.
A spokesperson for Netanyahu told Reuters that the injured pilot, covered in blood, managed to press the cockpit door unlock device while lying on the floor. Another set of pilots on board (who were supposed to take over from the previous set) then took control of the plane and landed safely.
According to data from the flight tracking website Flightradar24, at the time of the incident, the plane suddenly descended rapidly, dropping nearly 14,000 feet (about 4,270 meters) in less than 30 seconds.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz referred to the event as an attempted “terrorist attack” and stated that it was the courageous actions of multiple Israeli passengers that thwarted the terrorist attempt.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed gratitude to the heroes who “displayed extraordinary courage” on the plane.
He wrote on the social media platform X, saying, “A worrisome event ultimately turned into a tremendous miracle and extraordinary heroic feat.” He also extended condolences and encouragement to the passengers on board, “and sincerely thanked the heroes who showed immense courage in a moment of crisis.”
“We will continue to cooperate with our UAE partners, draw lessons from this incident, and work together to combat terrorism,” he said.