Co-pilot stabs pilot, terror angle probed: What we know so far on flydubai horror

A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia after a violent fight between the pilots in the cockpit triggered distress signals.

In Short

• Aircraft dropped 17,400 feet in two minutes before landing in Saudi Arabia
• Cockpit fight between captain and co-pilot triggered distress signals
• Israel treating the incident as a terrorist attack

A violent, bloodied altercation between the captain and the co-pilot on a Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight (FZ1073) triggered emergency signals and sparked fears of a hijacking on Wednesday. While the exact sequence of events remains under investigation, initial assessments suggest that the co-pilot allegedly attempted to crash the aircraft in an apparent suicide attempt and was stopped by the captain with help from passengers.

Israeli officials told Reuters that the co-pilot, an Omani national, stabbed the captain before cabin crew and other passengers entered the cockpit and subdued him. The dramatic mid-air incident prompted Israel and Saudi Arabia to scramble jets before the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, carrying around 180 passengers, eventually landed safely at Tabuk Airport in north Saudi Arabia.

A second team of pilots in civilian clothes who were on the flydubai plane made the emergency landing. The aircraft sustained damage to the rudder on the rear of the aircraft. Israel, which called the incident an attempted "terror attack", said its spy agency Mossad was investigating the incident.

Viral visuals on social media showed a passenger in a blood-soaked T-shirt inside the aircraft. Another footage showed passengers tending to the injured captain near the cockpit, with the co-pilot seen tied up beside him.

FLYDUBAI JET HIJACK SCARE: WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR?

1) The Dubai-Tel Aviv flight (FZ1073) initially transmitted distress code 7700, the signal for a general emergency. Seconds later, it transmitted the code 7500, which indicates possible hijacking or unlawful interference.

2) Flight tracking data showed the aircraft descended 17,400 feet - from 34,000 to around 16,600 feet - in just over two minutes before the first emergency signal.

3) According to Israel's Ynet news, a fight in the cockpit between the co-pilot, an Omani national, and the captain, an Indian, led to the activation of the distress signals.

4) Israeli analyst and popular journalist Amit Segal claimed the co-pilot repeatedly stabbed the captain. As screams emerged from the cockpit, passengers managed to break it open and subdue the co-pilot.

5) The altercation started after the co-pilot attempted to crash the aircraft. Eyewitnesses told the media that the captain managed to restrain him with the help of passengers.

6) It was the quick and courageous act by some passengers that eventually helped avert a major disaster. Among them was Yitzhak Lieber, who helped overpower the co-pilot. "The pilot was seriously injured. We overpowered the terrorist, and he is tied up. You have a heroic dad," Lieber said in a video message to his children.

7) A passenger, Miriam, said she heard screams from the cockpit around two hours into the flight. When the cabin door was opened, she saw one of the pilots lying injured with a folding knife in his hand. There was "blood everywhere", she said, Reuters reported.

8) The situation could have taken a fatal turn if not for the second team of pilots who were on the aircraft. A report in The Times of Israel said the two pilots eventually managed to land the jet safely in Saudi Arabia. Both the pilot and co-pilot were hospitalised after sustaining injuries, Saudi's Tabuk Airport said.

9) The landing of an Israel-bound flight in Saudi Arabia marked a rare occasion of the arrival of Israelis in the kingdom. Saudi Arabia has no diplomatic relations with Israel.

10) Israel is likely to send a military or civilian aircraft of its national airline, El Al, to bring home the passengers from Saudi Arabia. Tabuk Airport said it was coordinating with flydubai to secure a replacement aircraft.

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