Flydubai Pilot Attacked Co-Pilot, Forcing Flight to Land in Saudi Arabia

An Omani co-pilot identified as Hamam al-Hammami is accused of attacking his captain with a cockpit axe on an Israel-bound FlyDubai flight and trying to seize control of the plane, which had 182 people aboard. The case has raised questions about airline vetting and how the flight passed Israeli security checks, coming as Israel marks a tense anniversary and heads toward a security-focused election.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that whoever was behind the flydubai attack would pay a “very heavy price,” while offering no evidence and not naming any country. Israeli officials say a co-pilot stabbed the pilot on a Tel Aviv-bound flight, prompting an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia with no deaths.

A FlyDubai pilot stabbed his fellow pilot and apparently tried to crash a flight carrying dozens of Israelis, but passengers and crew subdued him and the plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia. Israel said the quick intervention prevented a major disaster and scrambled warplanes amid fears of a hijacking.

Israeli officials say a flydubai co-pilot stabbed the pilot and tried to crash a flight to Israel, but passengers and crew overpowered him and forced an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The UAE has opened a probe into possible terrorist activity, and the incident has raised security concerns for UAE-Israel travel under the Abraham Accords.

A FlyDubai pilot stabbed another pilot and appeared to try to crash a Dubai-to-Israel flight carrying about 170 people, but passengers and crew subdued him and the plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia. Israel scrambled warplanes amid fears of a hijacking, and the incident raised fresh security concerns on a route heavily used by Israelis traveling to the UAE.

A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia after a passenger said one pilot attacked the co-pilot and tried to crash the plane over Jordan. No passengers were injured, and other crew and travelers helped subdue the pilot, according to accounts from onboard. The flight carried Israelis, including a woman heading to a memorial service for her brother killed in the Oct. 7 attack.