ALERT Breaking Alert
Breaking · Tabuk, Saudi Arabia · Sept. 30, 2026
We summarize. You read the outlet. Source: Fox News on X · short original summary · full reporting at the source
A pilot on a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv stabbed the other pilot and apparently tried to crash the plane on Wednesday before a passenger and crew members subdued him, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. The plane, carrying mostly Israeli passengers, made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and Saudi authorities are questioning the pilot. Israeli officials call it an attempted terror attack; the motive is under investigation.
What the video shows
The 77-second clip, posted by Fox News at 10:17 a.m. CT, shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressing the nation from the Prime Minister’s Office. He calls it “an extremely serious security incident” on a flight from Dubai to Israel, saying nearly all the passengers were Israelis. He says that “one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board.”
Netanyahu says an Israeli passenger told him the plane “went into a spin and began to dive.” He says that passenger and a crew member broke into the cockpit and subdued the pilot, who was “trying to sabotage the aircraft systems.” Other crew members then stabilized the plane. “They saved many lives. They prevented a terrible disaster,” Netanyahu says. He adds that the plane landed safely at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia, that all passengers are out of danger, and that the pilot who did the stabbing is being questioned by Saudi authorities. The video contains no graphic footage.
What we know
- The flight: The FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv sent an emergency alert about two and a half hours after takeoff. It dropped from about 33,000 to 17,000 feet in roughly a minute, circled near the Jordanian border, and landed in Tabuk about an hour later, according to the AP’s review of Flightradar24 data. Reuters reported that Flightradar24 data showed a drop of nearly 14,000 feet in 30 seconds.
- Injuries: The plane’s captain and first officer were injured and taken to the hospital, according to the Tabuk airport’s statement carried by Saudi state TV, the AP reported. Passengers received medical attention.
- Israel’s response: Israel scrambled warplanes over fears of a hijacking, an official told the AP. The Israel Airports Authority said a “rescue flight” was bringing passengers home from Saudi Arabia.
- The investigation: Saudi Arabia is investigating with regional partners. A person familiar with the probe told the AP that members of Israeli security forces and air marshals on board intervened.
Known vs. unconfirmed
- Known: A fight involving the pilots, with at least one of them armed with a knife, forced the flight to divert. It landed safely in Tabuk, and both pilots were injured. Israeli officials say the attacking pilot has been detained.
- Claimed by Israeli officials: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called it “an attempted jihadist terror attack” that was thwarted by Israeli passengers, The Telegraph reported, noting he did not provide evidence. He also said early intelligence suggested the co-pilot intended to crash the plane. Netanyahu says the pilot “apparently tried to crash the plane.”
- Unconfirmed: The motive is under investigation. A person familiar with the Saudi-led probe told the AP that authorities have not determined whether it was a terrorist attack. FlyDubai and Saudi authorities have not publicly named the pilot.
