Netanyahu on alleged FlyDubai pilot stabbing: "I don't think it was a hijacking"

A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Israel was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after a violent incident in the cockpit. According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, one pilot tried to stab the other and crash the plane, sparking a fight for control of the aircraft. The plane rapidly lost altitude, dropping from around 10,000 meters to 5,100 meters in about a minute, causing fear among the approximately 170 passengers.

The incident occurred on flight FZ1073, which had departed Dubai about two and a half hours earlier, at 8:44am local time on Wednesday. A passenger and crew member entered the cockpit to subdue the attacker, and other crew members regained control of the aircraft. The plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia.

The pilot who was stabbed, identified as Smit Mashar by the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia, was hospitalized in Tabuk. FlyDubai suspended flights to and from Israel while an investigation into the incident continues. The airline stated that the underlying reasons for the event remained unknown and warned against premature speculation.

Brief written by urgent.news from CBS News, ABC News AU, Ajel English, South China Morning Post — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.