Flydubai Co-Pilot Stabbed Mid-Flight to Tel Aviv — SkimNews
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- Flydubai Flight FZ1073 departed Dubai at 03:05 GMT with at least 150 people aboard, dropped over 17,000 feet in under two minutes over Saudi airspace, squawked hijacking code 7500, and was diverted to Tabuk Airport where it landed at 06:58.
- Capt Smit Machchhar, the stabbed Indian national co-pilot, managed to open the cockpit door before collapsing; he was hospitalized in stable condition and later hailed by Netanyahu as a 'true hero' who saved 174 lives.
- Yaniv Hayun, citing the TV series Air Crash Investigation, broke into the cockpit, placed the attacker in a chokehold, and pulled the aircraft's controls to level it out as other passengers pinned the assailant down with his own headphones.
- Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz characterized the attack as an 'attempted jihadist terror attack'; both Israeli and Saudi air forces scrambled fighter jets, and a repatriation flight carried survivors from Ziafrau to Tel Aviv by 18:40 local time.
- Donald Trump said he had spoken with Netanyahu following the incident, describing the attacker as 'perhaps a terrorist' while Saudi authorities awaited Saudi police, emergency, and issued statements from the airline itself.
Why it matters: The emergency landing at Saudi Arabia's Tabuk Airport — alongside both Israeli and Saudi fighter jets scrambling in tandem — demonstrates quiet security coordination between two nations with no formal diplomatic ties. Flydubai now faces scrutiny over cockpit access protocols and pilot screening on international routes, with the attacker's motive still unconfirmed.
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