A flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv was diverted after a passenger alleged that the co-pilot attacked the pilot and attempted to take control of the aircraft in what she described as a “suicide attack”.
The incident occurred on Wednesday while the flight was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, with the aircraft reportedly over Jordan.
Passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon told reporters that the plane was “pretty much out of control” when the alleged stabbing occurred.
According to Ohayon, the co-pilot attempted to attack the pilot and crash the aircraft, prompting passengers and other crew members to intervene.
“It was really on the way to crashing,” she said, adding that passengers managed to restrain the co-pilot and prevent the situation from escalating.
A doctor on board reportedly provided first aid to the injured pilot and others involved in the incident.
Ohayon said no passengers were injured, but described the fear of a possible crash as the biggest concern.
Her mother, Yasmin Abukasis, told AFP that her daughter believed they were going to die during the incident. She also said a woman who went to the cockpit saw “a lot of blood”.
Abukasis said two other pilots were aboard the aircraft and took control before diverting the flight to Saudi Arabia.
The passenger was travelling to Israel to attend a service for her brother, who was killed in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, according to Channels Television, which cited AFP.
The circumstances surrounding the reported attack, including the motive and the identities of those involved, were not independently established in the report.
