'They Tried to Do 9/11': Pilot 'Stabbed By Co-Pilot in Attempted Hijacking' on Israel-Bound Plane — Causing Jet to Plunge 18K Feet
An Israeli-bound jet was allegedly nearly hijacked by a rogue co-pilot.
Sept. 30 2026, Published 1:40 p.m. ET
Fears of a mid-air terrorist attack reminiscent of September 11 have ignited after the pilot of an Israeli-bound passenger jet was unexpectedly attacked and stabbed by his co-pilot, RadarOnline.com can report.
Officials believe the co-pilot tried to crash the aircraft, which was carrying over 175 people, before passengers and crew members subdued the attacker and the plane made a safe emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Passengers Fought Back After a Pilot Tried to Crash the Plane
Passengers on the plane were left bloodied after they attacked and subdued the co-pilot, after he stabbed the pilot and tried to 'crash the plane.'
The FlyDubai Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane was on its way from the United Arab Emirates to Israel when the co-pilot apparently tried to take control in what Israeli sources say was an attempted hijacking.
The flight was cruising at 34,000 feet before the attack, which caused it to fall over 18,000 feet in less than two minutes.
Photos and videos showed passengers and the pilot covered in blood after stopping the alleged terrorist.
"One pilot stabbed the other and tried to do 9/11," an official told local media.
'It was Like a Terrorist Attack Mid-Air'
Passengers compared the fear to the 9/11 terror attacks.
Graphic video from the aftermath showed the captain drenched in blood, wearing an oxygen mask and lying on his back in the galley of the aircraft next to a bloodied wall.
According to witnesses, two "relief" pilots onboard and on their way to operate a subsequent flight jumped into action to help safely land the plane. One passenger described the life-saving pilots as European natives.
As the other pilots took control of the aircraft, passengers ran towards the man who had a knife. The attacker is believed to be Omani and had worked at FlyDubai for less than a year, according to the Jerusalem Post.
"We're here during the hijacking of an airplane. At this point, we've subdued the terrorists," one passenger said on tape.
"We were either going to crash or be murdered," another passenger told I24 News. "It was like a terrorist attack in mid-air."
The Plane Safely Made an Emergency Landing
The plane was headed from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
The plane made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia – a civilian and military base in the kingdom, and the co-pilot was arrested.
Israel's Transport Ministry said there would be a joint investigation of the incident with the defense establishment.
"All passengers are out of harm's way," Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement released by his office. He also ordered tighter security on both Israeli and non-Israeli carriers flying into Israel.
Roughly eight hours later, the passengers departed Saudi Arabia for Israel aboard a flydubai replacement aircraft.
Netanyahu said passengers , along with a member of the crew, broke into the cockpit after the aircraft "entered a tailspin and began to dive" and found the co-pilot "trying to sabotage the plane's systems."
Benjamin Netanyahu 'Salutes the Heroes'
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A pair of reserve pilots onboard landed it safely in Saudi Arabia.
A Netanyahu spokesman told Reuters the wounded pilot, covered with blood and lying on the floor, had clicked open the release on the cockpit door.
"I spoke with one of the Israeli passengers," Netanyahu relayed in his statement. "He told me that, somehow, he managed to break into the cockpit with one of the crew members and, together, they overpowered the pilot who had carried out the stabbing while he was attempting to sabotage the aircraft's systems.
"Another aircrew member who was on the plane entered the cockpit and managed to stabilize the aircraft. I salute these heroes who demonstrated extraordinary resourcefulness and courage. They saved many lives and prevented a major disaster."
