A midair stabbing on a flight to Israel is being investigated as a possible terrorist attack

Updated October 1, 2026 at 8:38 AM EDT

TEL AVIV, Israel, and RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The United Arab Emirates says it's opened an investigation into what happened on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv following its emergency landing.

One pilot stabbed another pilot on a flydubai flight headed to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, and may have tried to crash the plane of mostly Israeli passengers, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

The UAE says prosecutors are looking into whether the incident is linked to terrorist activity. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz initially called it a terrorist attack, without providing details. Netanyahu described it as "a serious security incident."

A person briefed on the matter not authorized to speak publicly told NPR Israel had no specific warning about a threat to Israelis involving an airplane.

Netanyahu said a passenger recounted to him that as the plane "went into a spin and began to plunge," passengers and crew members got into the cockpit and subdued the attacker as he was "sabotaging the aircraft's systems."

Ariel Schalit / AP

He said the passengers were able to enter the cockpit because the pilot — who was stabbed — unlocked its door during the attack.

In a video released by Israeli officials, one of those passengers, Yaniv Hayun, met with Netanyahu upon arriving in Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, his clothes still covered in blood.

"I ran towards the cockpit, and then there was a very sharp nosedive and I flew to the side," he said, adding that he and another passenger entered the cockpit. "I grabbed the attacker and I put him in a chokehold and then started to pull up on the controls."

Hayun said he's a plumber, but thought to right the plane that way after seeing it on a TV show.

Israelis are hailing the passengers and the pilot who survived the attack as heroes.

flydubai said in a statement that an "altercation occurred in the flight deck" of flight FZ 1073, traveling from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Tel Aviv. It said the flight crew secured the aircraft and diverted the plane to make an emergency landing at an airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. There were no reports of injuries to passengers.

The aviation tracking site Flightradar24 said data shows at one point the plane descended more than 14,000 feet, or nearly three miles, in under 30 seconds — way faster than normal.

Netanyahu said the Saudi authorities arrested the suspected attacker and are questioning him. Saudi Arabia did not immediately confirm the arrest, but the Saudi transportation safety authority said officials are investigating the incident.

A statement from Cluster2, the Saudi company that manages the country's airports, said the flight's captain and first officer, the co-pilot, were being treated for injuries in a hospital.

flydubai is a budget airline established by Dubai's government and is wholly owned by Dubai's sovereign wealth fund, the Investment Corporation of Dubai.

The airline said the motives behind the incident were unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation. The United Arab Emirates' civil aviation authority also said, through the state-run Emirates News Agency, that it is investigating the "causes and circumstances of the incident." It said it intends to make the findings public. Netanyahu said that Israel will be involved in that investigation.

Attacked pilot hailed as hero

There was no official identification of the suspected attacker, although Israeli officials have said he is from Oman.

The Israeli and Indian governments have identified the pilot who was attacked as Indian national Smit Machchhar, and praised his bravery.

"Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster," Netanyahu said. "He is a true hero."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his country is proud of Machchhar and prays for his quick recovery.

The incident comes at a sensitive political moment in Israel with national elections less than a month away, a vote that will determine whether Netanyahu remains prime minister. He has been campaigning on the notion that he alone can protect Israelis from security threats.

Passengers land in Tel Aviv

Following the emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, the passengers were later flown to Israel on a different flydubai plane.

Ben Gurion International Airport was full of journalists awaiting their arrival. There were also many families, some with balloons and flowers to welcome their loved ones home after a scary experience.

Ariel Schalit / AP

The passengers slowly emerged through the arrivals door dragging suitcases behind them, some crying, some smiling, looking relieved or exhausted.

Dan Zoler was traveling with his wife and two small children on the flight. He told NPR that after the pilot was stabbed, he saw three passengers throw themselves on the co-pilot who carried out the attack, and capture him. He said another pilot on the plane took the controls and landed the plane in Saudi Arabia.

Ariel Schalit / AP

Throughout the ordeal, Zoler said he was trying to distract his young son, telling him this is not normal.

"I told him that it's something that happened like once in 25 years. That I want him to be calm, and that this will never happen again. And we are happy to come back," he said smiling, patting his son on the head.

Israel and the United Arab Emirates normalized relations in 2020. Flights between the countries are a main connection for vacationers and happen several times a day. flydubai said it was suspending its flights to and from Israel while authorities investigate the incident.

Itay Stern contributed reporting from Tel Aviv; Ahmed Abuhamda contributed from Cairo.

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