Co-pilot stabs pilot, tries to crash passenger jet en route to Israel, Netanyahu says

A FlyDubai passenger flight bound for Israel from Dubai made an unscheduled landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after Israeli officials and passengers described a violent confrontation involving the two pilots. Their accounts say one pilot attacked the other with a knife as the aircraft neared Israel, then tried to take control in an effort to bring the plane down. Passengers and members of the cabin crew intervened before the flight diverted.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the aircraft had been approaching Israel when the attack began. In a video statement, he said a pilot had wounded his colleague and appeared to be attempting to crash the jet with everyone aboard. Netanyahu credited passengers and other crew members with helping stop the assault, describing their response as the immediate barrier between the attacker and a potentially catastrophic outcome.

The flight's emergency diversion sent it to Saudi Arabia rather than its intended destination in Israel. The route itself links Dubai and Israel, while the landing placed the incident in Saudi territory. The accounts provided so far do not set out the sequence inside the cockpit in full, the condition of the injured pilot, or how authorities took control of the alleged attacker after the aircraft arrived.

Netanyahu said he had directed Israel's security agencies to prepare for the possibility of further threats. His statement placed the episode in a wider security context, even as investigators work to establish motive and determine whether the event was an isolated act. Israeli authorities have not publicly settled those questions in the information described by CBS News.

An Israeli security official told CBS News that investigators were examining whether the episode could amount to an attempted terrorist attack modeled on the Sept. 11 hijackings. That line of inquiry focuses on the allegation that a pilot sought to use a commercial aircraft as a weapon, rather than merely disrupt the flight. It remains an investigative possibility, not a conclusion announced by authorities.

Investigators are also considering whether the pilot suspected of carrying out the attack had assistance or acted alone, according to the official. That distinction could affect how broadly security services assess the incident and what follow-up measures they take. No details were provided about a suspected network, a claimed motive, or evidence linking any other person to the alleged attempt.

The reported intervention by passengers and crew is central to the accounts from Israeli officials. Aviation emergencies can turn quickly on access to the cockpit and the ability of trained crew to maintain control, but the available description does not explain each participant's role. What is clear from the accounts is that the flight did not continue to Israel and that the alleged effort to crash it failed.

The seriousness of the allegation also means investigators will need to separate initial testimony from evidence that can be checked, including cockpit records and communications. Early accounts can establish why an aircraft changed course, but they do not by themselves answer questions about intent, planning or responsibility.

For travelers and authorities, the Saudi diversion leaves several practical and legal questions that have not yet been answered publicly, including which agencies will lead the inquiry and where any criminal proceedings could be handled. The case also involves an airline based in Dubai, a planned arrival in Israel and an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, creating a cross-border investigation even before the underlying allegations are resolved.

The next developments are likely to depend on evidence from the aircraft, crew and passengers, as well as the investigation into the suspected pilot's actions and contacts. Netanyahu's warning about possible future risks reflects Israel's decision to treat the incident as more than a routine in-flight disturbance. The security official's account, however, leaves open the central question: whether the alleged crash attempt was a lone act or part of a broader plot.

Source: CBS World