Indian pilot averts possible 9/11-style attack on flydubai flight; Netanyahu says security threat under probe

TEL AVIV, Oct 1 : An Indian pilot and passengers on a flydubai flight from Dubai to Israel helped avert what Israeli authorities feared could have become a 9/11-style attack after a co-pilot allegedly stabbed him and attempted to seize control of the aircraft, forcing an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, officials and passengers said.

The wounded pilot was identified by Israel's Foreign Ministry as Capt Smit Machchhar, an Indian national.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when the incident took place as the aircraft approached Israel. The plane was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia after an apparent struggle in the cockpit, with passengers and crew members intervening to overpower the attacker and regain control of the aircraft.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one of the pilots had stabbed the other and appeared to have attempted to crash the aircraft with everyone aboard.

"As they were approaching Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and apparently attempted to crash the plane with everyone on board," Netanyahu said in an interview to US media, while praising the passengers and crew members who intervened.

Netanyahu said that he had already instructed Israel's "security establishment to prepare for potential additional threats."

The incident triggered an immediate security response in Israel as fighter jets were scrambled.

Israeli security agencies are examining whether the episode could have been an attempted September 11-style terror attack or whether the alleged attacker acted as a lone wolf.

The Israeli Air Force was the first to detect that something was wrong, an Israeli official with direct knowledge of the incident said. The flight had deviated from its planned route and was descending rapidly, while attempts to contact the aircraft initially received no response.

The situation escalated after the aircraft transmitted an emergency alert indicating a hijacking rather than a routine distress call. Israeli authorities feared a possible 9/11-style attack and moved quickly to close Israeli airspace and scramble fighter jets, the official said.

The Israeli jets ultimately did not leave Israeli airspace after it became clear that the aircraft had turned towards Saudi Arabia and that Saudi Arabia had scrambled its own fighter jets.

The entire sequence, according to the official, unfolded within roughly two to three minutes, while the incident itself lasted about 15 minutes, as per media reports.

The wounded pilot was identified by Israel's Foreign Ministry as Capt. Smit Machchhar, an Indian national. The ministry described him as a "hero" who "fought back after being stabbed in the cockpit."

According to the ministry, Machchhar unlocked the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to enter and intervene. "Together, their extraordinary courage saved 174 lives," the ministry said.

Passenger accounts described a chaotic struggle as the aircraft appeared to lose control. Passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon said the aircraft dropped "very, very sharply suddenly" several times before stabilising. She said the plane was "pretty much out of control" when the stabbing occurred over Jordan.

"The co-pilot tried to murder the pilot and basically carry out a suicide attack on the plane," CBS reported, quoting Ohayon as saying. "It was really on the way to crashing, and it was simply the resourcefulness of many people who took control of the co-pilot and neutralized him."

"There was also a doctor who gave first aid, and people who treated both of them. Other than the pilot, there were no injuries, but the bigger fear was really a crash, which is exactly what he was trying to do," she added.

Another passenger, Asaf Rajuan, was credited with helping fight off the attacker before two off-duty pilots took control of the aircraft.

"Whoever is hearing me, we need help," Rajuan said in a video posted from the aircraft after the co-pilot had been subdued. "We are in the Tabuk area of Saudi Arabia, which we don't know. All the passengers are OK, but not the pilot. We need help."

The aircraft landed safely in Tabuk, where a civilian airport is located next to a Saudi military base. The wounded pilot was among those taken for medical treatment, while Saudi authorities said two crew members were hospitalised with unspecified injuries.

In an interview with CBS News, Netanyahu asserted that his motive remained unknown and described witness accounts suggesting the co-pilot had been attempting to interfere with the aircraft's controls.

"This guy was trying to jam the equipment between the two flight seats, the pilot seats," Netanyahu said, referring to witness accounts. "He wasn't sitting in the pilot seat trying to stabilize the plane; he was trying to jam the equipment."

The alleged attacker has been arrested and is "being questioned by the Saudi authorities," Netanyahu said. An Omani official confirmed that the man was born in Oman and held Omani citizenship.

The incident also prompted heightened concern because of the history of the September 11 attacks, in which hijacked commercial aircraft were used as weapons in the United States in 2001.

However, flydubai stopped short of characterising the incident as terrorism or a hijacking and said an investigation was underway.

"At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation," the airline said, urging "all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts."

The airline said that "an altercation occurred in the flight deck" and that the aircraft "was successfully secured by on-duty flydubai crew traveling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely" in Saudi Arabia.

flydubai said "all passengers and crew are safe and accounted for" and that a replacement aircraft had been sent to Tabuk to transport the passengers and crew.

The plane later continued to Tel Aviv and landed shortly before 8 p.m. local time. Passengers were greeted by family members at Ben Gurion Airport, with people heard singing and chanting as they emerged from the aircraft.

The incident comes as Israel remains on heightened security alert amid its ongoing regional military operations and concerns over possible attacks against Israeli interests.

Israel has not experienced a plane hijacking in decades and maintains stringent aviation security measures. The episode nevertheless prompted an immediate military response because of the aircraft's sudden deviation, rapid descent, and emergency alert.

(UNI)