Passenger on rerouted flydubai flight says pilot tried to crash plane

A passenger on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, operated by Flydubai, reported that one of the pilots attempted to crash the plane, leading to its emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Israeli far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir was the first official to claim that the incident involved an attempted "terrorist" attack, with no passengers reporting injuries.

The aircraft, flight FZ 1073, lost altitude rapidly, plummeting from near 34,000 feet to below 17,000 feet during the flight. The co-pilot tried to kill the pilot while the plane was over Jordan, with passengers stepping in to separate the two pilots and neutralize the threat. The airline confirmed in a statement that the plane had landed safely in Tabuk, with all passengers accounted for.

Israeli media reported that two additional pilots were on board as passengers and took control of the situation, landing the plane in Saudi Arabia. Israeli military scrambled fighter jets in response to fears of a hijacking, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held consultations on the matter.