Did a flydubai pilot try to crash Israel-bound flight FZ1073?
Israeli officials say a flydubai pilot tried to crash flight FZ1073 on September 30, 2026. The airline says the motives are unknown and urges against speculation. As of that date, no investigating authority had reported findings on what happened in the flight deck.
Claim in dispute
flydubai said on September 30, 2026 that an altercation occurred in the flight deck of flight FZ 1073, that the underlying reasons and motives behind the event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation, and that all parties should refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts.
Case period:
Published by The Dispute Index editorial teamPublished Updated
Overview
This case asks whether a pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073, described by Israeli officials as the first officer, deliberately tried to crash the aircraft on September 30, 2026. Each statement is labeled against that proposition. The public label Condemned means a speaker asserted the attempt (an attributed accusation). It is not a judgment on the airline or on any other party. The case does not decide the proposition. It also does not decide whether the act was "terrorism," what the motive was, the suspect's nationality or mental state, or the Israeli election politics around the incident. Those topics appear only as attributed background where a named statement bears on whether there was a deliberate crash attempt. Everything here is current as of September 30, 2026. As of that date, no investigating authority had reported findings, and we did not locate a public report that anyone had been charged. Netanyahu said the pilot he accuses was arrested. No authority has publicly named that pilot, and we do not name him.
Flightradar24's blog post (opens in a new tab) says FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, departed Dubai at 03:05 UTC, climbed to 34,000 feet and, at 05:21 UTC, began a steep descent, then a sharp climb, then a second steep descent. It was flying at about 15,000 feet by 05:33 UTC. The aircraft squawked 7700 (general emergency) at 05:28:48 UTC while flying along the Saudi-Jordanian border, then 7500 (unlawful interference) at about 05:35 UTC, briefly entered Jordanian airspace, turned back and squawked 7700 again on approach to Tabuk. Flightradar24's first timeline post (opens in a new tab) gave 05:31 and 05:38 UTC for the two codes, and its later blog post gives the earlier times. The National reported (opens in a new tab) that Tabuk's Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport received a distress call at 08:44 local time (05:44 UTC), that the plane landed at 09:45 (06:45 UTC) and that the captain and first officer were taken to hospital. The Israeli air force scrambled fighter jets, The Jerusalem Post reported (opens in a new tab).
The flight data covers altitude, speed and climb rate. It does not show who was at the controls or why. Flightradar24 said (opens in a new tab) at 06:42 UTC that it had "NO CONFIRMATION of the nature of the situation on board." It later posted (opens in a new tab) that between 05:22:07 and 05:22:36 UTC the aircraft dropped from 30,875 feet to 16,750 feet, which is 14,125 feet in 29 seconds. Other reported figures appear to differ because they measure different windows of the same descent: Reuters reported a fall of nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds (CNBC (opens in a new tab)), CNN reported about 17,400 feet in less than two minutes (CNN (opens in a new tab)), The Guardian reported about 16,000 feet in two minutes (Guardian (opens in a new tab)), The National reported 33,000 to 17,000 feet within a minute, and an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post the aircraft plunged about 4,000 meters. In the data file (opens in a new tab) Flightradar24 published, the altitude reads 34,000 feet until about 05:21:08 UTC and reaches a low of 16,600 feet at about 05:22:40 UTC, a span of about 17,400 feet in about 92 seconds (our reading of the file). Altitude values in the file repeat or are missing between about 05:21:48 and 05:22:16 UTC, so the path through the fastest part of the descent is not fully recorded. Marco Chan, a Kingston University aviation lecturer, told CNN that "someone had to be pushing hard on the controls," likely a physical "tug-of-war," and that a falling body can also produce large inputs. He said investigators will likely examine the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder first.
In a video statement (opens in a new tab), Netanyahu said one of the pilots "stabbed the second pilot, and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board." He attributed the account of what the stabbing pilot was doing to an Israeli passenger he spoke with, who told him the plane went into a spin and began to dive and that, with a crew member, he broke into the cockpit and neutralized the stabbing pilot "while he was trying to sabotage the plane's systems." Israel Katz said (opens in a new tab) (in Ynet's English translation) that, "according to the initial information in our possession," the intention was to crash the aircraft with all its passengers, and he called the incident "an attempted jihadist terrorist attack." NBC News reported (opens in a new tab) that he did not say how he reached that conclusion. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote (opens in a new tab) at 10:06 UTC about anyone who "tried to bring down a plane," in the Guardian's translation. Israeli officials' language changed during the day. At 07:49 UTC the Prime Minister's Office said (opens in a new tab) only that the incident was under control, and Newsweek reported (opens in a new tab) that spokesperson Doron Spielman told Reuters around the landing that it was not believed to have been a hijacking, but a "different incident." Later, NBC reported (opens in a new tab) that Spielman said there was "a strong opinion" that the incident was a "terror attack" (NBC's paraphrase), "but we can't be sure until we debrief everybody." Three unnamed Israeli officials told Reuters that Israel's assessment was "an attempted terror attack rather than a mental health-related event" (AeroTime (opens in a new tab)). The Jerusalem Post reported, without naming sources, that investigators were examining what the pilot intended, including whether he meant to crash the plane in an urban area in Israel.
Passengers gave accounts to Israeli and international outlets. Yaniv Hayun, whom Netanyahu's office named as a passenger who broke into the cockpit, told Ynet (opens in a new tab) that "the pilot was trying to destroy the instruments in order to disable the plane," and CNN reported (opens in a new tab) that he told Netanyahu "there were no pilots in the seats: one was on the floor, one was on the [panel]." Passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon told reporters that the co-pilot "tried to murder the pilot and basically carry out a suicide attack on the plane" (Guardian (opens in a new tab)). Dr. Shota Musaev told CNN he found the man on the floor on top of the pilot, stabbing him, and that the man "didn't say a word." flydubai said the aircraft was "successfully secured by on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight." Israeli accounts credit passengers and relief pilots, and reports differ on who those pilots were. We did not locate an authority statement naming who landed the plane.
flydubai's three statements (opens in a new tab) on September 30 said, in order, that the flight "experienced an incident while en route"; that an altercation occurred in the flight deck, that the reasons and motives were unknown and subject to a formal investigation, and that all parties should refrain from premature speculation; and that its flights to and from Israel would be suspended while the investigation continues. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority described (opens in a new tab) a security incident that was brought under control and said its teams were working to establish the cause and circumstances. Saudi Arabia's National Transport Safety Center said (opens in a new tab) its safety investigation team had begun work on the emergency landing. NBC News reported (opens in a new tab) that Hessa Alyahya, spokesperson for the Saudi Embassy in the U.S., said authorities were waiting to determine whether the incident was a dispute between the pilots or an act sponsored by Iran or the Houthis, and that more was expected to be known within 24 hours. NBC also reported, citing an unnamed Saudi official and an unnamed senior U.S. official briefed on the investigation, that the stabbing increasingly looks like an act of terrorism based on early results. As of September 30, 2026, we did not locate a Saudi statement on whether a crash attempt was deliberate, on an arrest or on questioning, and we did not locate a statement from Oman. The Indian embassy in Riyadh said (opens in a new tab) that Smit Machchhar, whom Netanyahu named as the stabbed captain, was in a hospital in Tabuk and reported to be in stable condition. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there were "no credible threats" to the United States (CNN (opens in a new tab)). On the evening of September 30, President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office about his conversation with Netanyahu, said, as The Jerusalem Post quoted him (opens in a new tab): "They said he wanted to crash. They don't know that. They don't know that kind of information." CNN reported (opens in a new tab) that he added that Netanyahu told him he believes the person responsible planned to crash the plane. The named positions collected here lean toward Israeli officials. The airline and the regulators said little beyond the fact of an investigation, and the Saudi Embassy spokesperson said authorities were still weighing possible explanations. We did not locate a named official or expert who rejected the crash-attempt account outright. We did not locate statements on the cause from the U.S. State Department, the Federal Aviation Administration or the National Transportation Safety Board.
Not established as of September 30, 2026: who did what in the cockpit and in what order; what the pilot intended; what the flight recorders show; how a weapon reached the cockpit and what it was (a passenger's mother told Reuters that her daughter described a man with a knife, CNN reported that Dr. Shota Musaev said he did not find the weapon, and Ynet reported (opens in a new tab), citing an initial investigation without naming sources, that investigators were examining whether an emergency cockpit axe was used and by whom); what the man Netanyahu said was arrested has said; and his identity and nationality. An Israeli official told Reuters (opens in a new tab) that he is an Omani national. No authority has confirmed that on the record. NBC News cited two unnamed senior U.S. law enforcement officials who said the same, and Israeli media initially gave other nationalities for the pilots.
On September 29, Netanyahu said (opens in a new tab) that "We have indications that, ahead of the elections, our enemies will try to attack us," and his office said (opens in a new tab) that "alerts of possible attacks on the various fronts ahead of the elections" were presented to opposition leader Yair Lapid that evening. On September 30 Lapid wrote (opens in a new tab) that nothing resembling the plane incident had appeared in the briefing, in Al Jazeera's translation (opens in a new tab). Katz said the warnings he and Netanyahu issue are based on intelligence. Israel's election is on October 27, 2026. Those exchanges concern the use of the incident in the campaign and are outside this case's question.
People in this case
Benjamin NetanyahuDirectly involved
Israel KatzDirectly involved
Bezalel SmotrichCommented
Donald TrumpCommented
Timeline
14 timeline entries on this page. Dates: September 29, 2026 to September 30, 2026
September 2026
14 events
Netanyahu says Israel has "indications" that enemies will try to "attack us" before the election
Claim
Speaking at the Tel Nof Air Force base on September 29, 2026 (14:22 UTC post), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "We have indications that, ahead of the elections, our enemies will try to attack us." The Prime Minister's Office text of his remarks does not say where or how. Israel's election is scheduled for October 27, 2026.
[01]Netanyahu remarks at the Tel Nof Air Force base, September 29, 2026
Source excerpt
We have indications that, ahead of the elections, our enemies will try to attack us.
Netanyahu's remarks at the base, as posted by the Prime Minister's Office. He does not say what form an attempt might take or where.
Netanyahu remarks at the Tel Nof Air Force base, September 29, 2026 · Prime Minister’s Office of IsraelPost text, final paragraph, 14:22 UTC on September 29, 2026[02]Flydubai FZ1073 timeline: How the Israel-bound flight emergency unfolded (Al Jazeera)
Source excerpt
Nothing even resembling this morning’s plane incident appeared in the security briefing with the prime minister last night.
Al Jazeera's timeline, including its English translation of Yair Lapid's post about the security briefing.
Flydubai FZ1073 timeline: How the Israel-bound flight emergency unfolded (Al Jazeera) · Al JazeeraTimeline entries for September 29 and September 30Opposition leader Lapid receives a security briefing from Netanyahu
On the evening of September 29, 2026, opposition leader Yair Lapid met Netanyahu for a security briefing. The Prime Minister's Office said the briefing presented "alerts of possible attacks on the various fronts ahead of the elections" in detail. Lapid wrote afterward (20:51 UTC, in Hebrew) that he would not breach the confidentiality of the briefing and that there was no reason to put the public in a panic. On the morning of September 30 (10:36 UTC) he wrote that nothing resembling the plane incident had appeared in the briefing, in Al Jazeera's English translation.
[03]Prime Minister's Office announcement on the security briefing for opposition leader Yair Lapid
Source excerpt
During the intelligence update, alerts of possible attacks on the various fronts ahead of the elections were presented in detail.
The Prime Minister's Office account of the briefing it gave the opposition leader the evening before flight FZ1073.
Prime Minister's Office announcement on the security briefing for opposition leader Yair Lapid · Prime Minister’s Office of IsraelPost text, 21:27 UTC on September 29, 2026[04]Yair Lapid post after his security briefing with Netanyahu (Hebrew), September 29, 2026
Source excerpt
ואין סיבה להכניס את הציבור לפאניקה
Lapid's post after the briefing. He says he will not breach the confidentiality of the briefing and that there is no reason to put the public in a panic.
Yair Lapid post after his security briefing with Netanyahu (Hebrew), September 29, 2026 · Yair LapidFull original post, 20:51 UTC on September 29, 2026[05]Yair Lapid post on the security briefing and the plane incident (Hebrew), September 30, 2026
Source excerpt
שום דבר שדומה אפילו לאירוע המטוס הבוקר לא הופיע בעדכון הבטחוני עם ראש הממשלה אמש.
Lapid says nothing resembling the plane incident appeared in the security briefing. Al Jazeera's English translation of the post is cited as a separate source.
Yair Lapid post on the security briefing and the plane incident (Hebrew), September 30, 2026 · Yair LapidFull original post, 10:36 UTC on September 30, 2026[02]Flydubai FZ1073 timeline: How the Israel-bound flight emergency unfolded (Al Jazeera)
Source excerpt
Nothing even resembling this morning’s plane incident appeared in the security briefing with the prime minister last night.
Al Jazeera's timeline, including its English translation of Yair Lapid's post about the security briefing.
Flydubai FZ1073 timeline: How the Israel-bound flight emergency unfolded (Al Jazeera) · Al JazeeraTimeline entries for September 29 and September 30FZ1073 departs Dubai and drops sharply in altitude
Incident
Flightradar24 data shows flydubai flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 bound for Tel Aviv, departed Dubai at 03:05 UTC on September 30, 2026 and climbed to 34,000 feet. At 05:21 UTC it began a steep descent, then a sharp climb and a second steep descent, and it was flying at about 15,000 feet by 05:33 UTC. Flightradar24 posted that between 05:22:07 and 05:22:36 UTC the aircraft dropped from 30,875 feet to 16,750 feet, which is 14,125 feet in 29 seconds. Flightradar24 also said its calculated vertical speeds ranged from about minus 30,000 to plus 10,000 feet per minute, where normal operations rarely exceed 4,000 either way. Outlets report different descent figures, which appear to measure different windows of the descent. The data does not show what was happening in the flight deck.
[06]FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv diverts to Tabuk amid onboard incident (Flightradar24 blog)
Source excerpt
At 05:21 UTC, the flight began a steep descent, followed by a sharp ascent, followed by another sharp descent.
Flightradar24's own post, updated during September 30, 2026. It reports ADS-B data and quotes flydubai's statements. It says multiple outlets reported a physical altercation between the pilots and does not say what happened in the flight deck. The archived copy is cited because the live page was not reachable at the time of reading.
FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv diverts to Tabuk amid onboard incident (Flightradar24 blog) · Flightradar24Timeline paragraphs on the descent, transponder codes and diversion; archived copy taken at 20:34 UTC[07]Flightradar24 post on the altitude drop between 05:22:07 and 05:22:36 UTC
Source excerpt
Between 05:22:07 and 05:22:36 flight #FZ1073 dropped from 30,875 feet to 16,750 feet (-14,125 feet in just 29 seconds)
The source of the 14,125-foot, 29-second figure that Reuters and NBC News attribute to Flightradar24.
Flightradar24 post on the altitude drop between 05:22:07 and 05:22:36 UTC · Flightradar24Post text and chart, 08:11 UTC on September 30, 2026[08]Flightradar24 post on vertical speeds before FZ1073 squawked 7700
Source excerpt
For context, vertical speeds during normal operations rarely exceed ±4,000 ft/min.
Flightradar24 says it observed extreme fluctuations in the transmitted altitude data, with calculated vertical speeds from about minus 30,000 to plus 10,000 feet per minute.
Flightradar24 post on vertical speeds before FZ1073 squawked 7700 · Flightradar24Post text and chart, 07:36 UTC on September 30, 2026[09]Flightradar24 granular ADS-B data for FZ1073, September 30, 2026
The data file linked from Flightradar24's blog post. It records barometric altitude, ground speed and reported vertical speed from about 03:03 UTC to 06:58 UTC. Altitude values repeat or are missing between about 05:21:48 and 05:22:16 UTC. The file shows what the transponder reported and nothing about events in the flight deck.
Flightradar24 granular ADS-B data for FZ1073, September 30, 2026 · Flightradar24Rows from 05:21:00 to 05:25:00 UTC (timestamp, altitude, ground speed, vertical speed)[10]Passengers overcame co-pilot who tried to crash flydubai flight, Netanyahu says (CNBC, Reuters report)
Source excerpt
The aircraft's flight data showed it suddenly and rapidly descended by nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before a first emergency signal was sent on Wednesday morning, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
Reuters report as carried by CNBC. A later Reuters version is cited separately.
Passengers overcame co-pilot who tried to crash flydubai flight, Netanyahu says (CNBC, Reuters report) · CNBCPassages on the Flightradar24 data and the Israeli officials' statementsFZ1073 transmits emergency transponder codes and turns back
Incident
Flightradar24 recorded the aircraft squawking 7700 (general emergency) at 05:28:48 UTC while flying along the Saudi-Jordanian border, then 7500 (unlawful interference) at about 05:35 UTC. It briefly entered Jordanian airspace, turned back 180 degrees and headed southwest toward Tabuk, squawking 7700 again on approach. Flightradar24's first timeline post, at 07:06 UTC, gave 05:31 and 05:38 UTC for the two codes, and its later blog post gives the earlier times. At 06:42 UTC, as the aircraft approached Tabuk, Flightradar24 said it had "NO CONFIRMATION of the nature of the situation on board." The Jerusalem Post reported that the Israeli air force scrambled fighter jets and that Israeli airspace was temporarily closed.
[06]FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv diverts to Tabuk amid onboard incident (Flightradar24 blog)
Source excerpt
At 05:21 UTC, the flight began a steep descent, followed by a sharp ascent, followed by another sharp descent.
Flightradar24's own post, updated during September 30, 2026. It reports ADS-B data and quotes flydubai's statements. It says multiple outlets reported a physical altercation between the pilots and does not say what happened in the flight deck. The archived copy is cited because the live page was not reachable at the time of reading.
FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv diverts to Tabuk amid onboard incident (Flightradar24 blog) · Flightradar24Timeline paragraphs on the descent, transponder codes and diversion; archived copy taken at 20:34 UTC[11]Flightradar24 timeline post for FZ1073
Source excerpt
Squawk changed to 7700
Flightradar24's first timeline post gives 05:31 UTC for the 7700 code and 05:38 UTC for the 7500 code. Its later blog post gives 05:28:48 and 05:35 UTC.
Flightradar24 timeline post for FZ1073 · Flightradar24Post text, 07:06 UTC on September 30, 2026[12]Flightradar24 post on the codes squawked by FZ1073
Source excerpt
We have NO CONFIRMATION of the nature of the situation on board at this time.
Flightradar24 posted this while the aircraft was on approach to Tabuk, before any statement from the airline or from Israel.
Flightradar24 post on the codes squawked by FZ1073 · Flightradar24Post text, 06:42 UTC on September 30, 2026[13]Israel: Flydubai pilot tried to hijack Tel Aviv flight, all passengers safe (The Jerusalem Post)
Source excerpt
During the altercation, the aircraft plunged about 4,000 meters, an official noted.
Jerusalem Post report that relies on unnamed Israeli sources for what investigators are examining. It describes the suspect in terms DI does not adopt.
Israel: Flydubai pilot tried to hijack Tel Aviv flight, all passengers safe (The Jerusalem Post)Sections on the investigation and the descentFZ1073 lands at Tabuk and both pilots are taken to hospital
Incident
Tabuk's Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport said its air traffic control received a distress call from FZ1073 at 08:44 local time (05:44 UTC) and that the aircraft landed at 09:45 (06:45 UTC). The airport said the captain and first officer were taken to hospital, without describing the nature or severity of the injuries, The National reported. Flightradar24's last ADS-B message from the aircraft was at 06:58 UTC.
[14]UAE's civil aviation authority investigates 'security incident' on flydubai flight (The National)
Source excerpt
A senior flydubai official told The National that the airline could not disclose the nationalities of the two pilots.
Reports the Tabuk airport's account of the distress call and landing times, the GCAA's wording, and a flydubai official's comments on the black boxes.
UAE's civil aviation authority investigates 'security incident' on flydubai flight (The National)Sections on the Tabuk airport statements, the GCAA statement and the flydubai official's comments[06]FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv diverts to Tabuk amid onboard incident (Flightradar24 blog)
Source excerpt
At 05:21 UTC, the flight began a steep descent, followed by a sharp ascent, followed by another sharp descent.
Flightradar24's own post, updated during September 30, 2026. It reports ADS-B data and quotes flydubai's statements. It says multiple outlets reported a physical altercation between the pilots and does not say what happened in the flight deck. The archived copy is cited because the live page was not reachable at the time of reading.
FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv diverts to Tabuk amid onboard incident (Flightradar24 blog) · Flightradar24Timeline paragraphs on the descent, transponder codes and diversion; archived copy taken at 20:34 UTC[15]Netanyahu says pilot arrested after stabbing fellow pilot and apparently trying to crash Israel-bound plane (The Guardian live blog)
Source excerpt
anyone who tried to bring down a plane and murder 180 Israelis should pay as though they had murdered them
The Guardian's live coverage. It gives an English translation of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's post and quotes passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon.
Netanyahu says pilot arrested after stabbing fellow pilot and apparently trying to crash Israel-bound plane (The Guardian live blog) · The GuardianEntries on Smotrich's and Ben-Gvir's posts, Netanyahu's statement, passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon and the Flightradar24 dataPrime Minister's Office says the incident is under control
Source release
At 07:49 UTC the Prime Minister's Office said that Netanyahu had held consultations on an aviation incident and was monitoring developments, and that the incident was under control and all measures were being deployed to return the Israeli passengers to Israel. The statement did not describe what happened aboard. Newsweek reported that around the time of the landing, spokesperson Doron Spielman told Reuters the incident was not believed to have been a hijacking but a "different incident." The Guardian reported that authorities later said they were investigating.
[16]Prime Minister's Office announcement on an aviation incident
Source excerpt
The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel.
The Prime Minister's Office first statement on the incident. It says Netanyahu held consultations and is monitoring developments and does not describe what happened aboard.
Prime Minister's Office announcement on an aviation incident · Prime Minister’s Office of IsraelPost text, 07:49 UTC on September 30, 2026[17]FlyDubai Israel Flight Emergency: What We Know About Suspected Hijacking (Newsweek)
Source excerpt
Doron Spielman, an Israeli prime ministerial spokesperson, told Reuters it was not believed to have been a hijacking, but a "different incident."
Newsweek's early report, updated at 7:42 a.m. EDT, quoting what Spielman told Reuters around the time the plane landed.
FlyDubai Israel Flight Emergency: What We Know About Suspected Hijacking (Newsweek) · NewsweekParagraph on Doron Spielman's remark to Reuters[15]Netanyahu says pilot arrested after stabbing fellow pilot and apparently trying to crash Israel-bound plane (The Guardian live blog)
Source excerpt
anyone who tried to bring down a plane and murder 180 Israelis should pay as though they had murdered them
The Guardian's live coverage. It gives an English translation of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's post and quotes passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon.
Netanyahu says pilot arrested after stabbing fellow pilot and apparently trying to crash Israel-bound plane (The Guardian live blog) · The GuardianEntries on Smotrich's and Ben-Gvir's posts, Netanyahu's statement, passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon and the Flightradar24 dataIsraeli Finance Minister Smotrich posts about "anyone who tried to bring down a plane"
Reaction
At 10:06 UTC Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich posted in Hebrew that Israel must relate to the intention and not to the results. The Guardian's English translation says "anyone who tried to bring down a plane and murder 180 Israelis should pay as though they had murdered them." AeroTime logged a Channel 12 report at 10:02 UTC citing an unnamed senior Israeli official on whether the copilot had tried to seize control of the aircraft and crash it. The post preceded statements from the Defense Minister and the Prime Minister on the question.
[18]Bezalel Smotrich post on the plane incident (Hebrew)
Source excerpt
מי שניסה לרסק מטוס ולרצוח 180 ישראלים צריך לשלם כאילו הוא רצח.
Smotrich's post in Hebrew, about three and a half hours before the Defense Minister's statement. The Guardian's English translation of the post is cited as a separate source.
Bezalel Smotrich post on the plane incident (Hebrew) · Bezalel SmotrichFull original post, 10:06 UTC on September 30, 2026[15]Netanyahu says pilot arrested after stabbing fellow pilot and apparently trying to crash Israel-bound plane (The Guardian live blog)
Source excerpt
anyone who tried to bring down a plane and murder 180 Israelis should pay as though they had murdered them
The Guardian's live coverage. It gives an English translation of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's post and quotes passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon.
Netanyahu says pilot arrested after stabbing fellow pilot and apparently trying to crash Israel-bound plane (The Guardian live blog) · The GuardianEntries on Smotrich's and Ben-Gvir's posts, Netanyahu's statement, passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon and the Flightradar24 data[19]Flydubai pilot allegedly tried to crash FZ1073: Netanyahu (AeroTime)
Source excerpt
Israel’s current assessment is that the incident was an attempted terror attack rather than a mental health-related event, the officials told Reuters.
AeroTime's running log of the day. It relays a Reuters report citing three unnamed Israeli officials and a Channel 12 report citing an unnamed senior official.
Flydubai pilot allegedly tried to crash FZ1073: Netanyahu (AeroTime)Timestamped entries at 13:02 and 16:19 (UTC+3)Israeli Defense Minister Katz calls the incident "an attempted jihadist terrorist attack"
Claim
By 13:40 UTC Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a statement saying the incident was "an attempted jihadist terrorist attack" that was thwarted by several Israeli passengers. In Ynet's translation he said, "According to the initial information in our possession, the terrorist had one intention: to crash the aircraft with all its passengers." NBC News reported that he did not say how he reached that conclusion.
[20]Did Israel have advance warning? Katz links Flydubai attack to 'intelligence-based alerts' (Ynet)
Source excerpt
According to the initial information in our possession, the terrorist had one intention: to crash the aircraft with all its passengers.
Ynet's English translation of Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz's Hebrew statement, including his later remarks on security warnings. Other outlets translate the same statement with slightly different wording.
Did Israel have advance warning? Katz links Flydubai attack to 'intelligence-based alerts' (Ynet) · Ynet NewsSection 'Katz: One intention: to crash the aircraft'[21]i24NEWS correspondent Amichai Stein post relaying Israel Katz's statement
Source excerpt
the terrorist had one objective: to crash the aircraft with all of its passengers onboard
The earliest post we located that relays Katz's statement, in a correspondent's English rendering. It gives 'objective' where Ynet gives 'intention'.
i24NEWS correspondent Amichai Stein post relaying Israel Katz's statementPost text, 13:40 UTC on September 30, 2026[22]Pilot stabbed his co-pilot in apparent attempt to crash Israel-bound plane, Netanyahu says (NBC News)
Source excerpt
but we can’t be sure until we debrief everybody.
NBC News report, first published 4:56 a.m. EDT and updated through the day. It gives no time for Spielman's remark. The classification of the incident in the paragraph is NBC's paraphrase, and only the quoted fragments are Spielman's words. The linked archive copy was captured at 13:53 UTC, before the paragraphs cited here were added.
Pilot stabbed his co-pilot in apparent attempt to crash Israel-bound plane, Netanyahu says (NBC News) · NBC NewsParagraphs quoting prime minister's spokesperson Doron Spielman, Katz and the senior U.S. officialflydubai confirms an altercation in the flight deck and says motives are unknown
Source release
By 13:21 UTC, flydubai had posted a second statement saying that an altercation occurred in the flight deck of FZ 1073 and that the aircraft was secured by on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight, who diverted it and landed it safely at Tabuk. It said the underlying reasons and motives were unknown and subject to a formal investigation and urged all parties to refrain from premature speculation. Flightradar24 noted the updated statement on its blog at 14:01 UTC.
[23]flydubai statement 2 on flight FZ 1073 (September 30, 2026)
Source excerpt
At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation. We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts.
The airline's second statement, on its newsroom page. An archive copy of the page captured at 13:21 UTC already carried it. It confirms an altercation in the flight deck and says the aircraft was secured by on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight.
flydubai statement 2 on flight FZ 1073 (September 30, 2026) · flydubaiStatement 2[06]FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv diverts to Tabuk amid onboard incident (Flightradar24 blog)
Source excerpt
At 05:21 UTC, the flight began a steep descent, followed by a sharp ascent, followed by another sharp descent.
Flightradar24's own post, updated during September 30, 2026. It reports ADS-B data and quotes flydubai's statements. It says multiple outlets reported a physical altercation between the pilots and does not say what happened in the flight deck. The archived copy is cited because the live page was not reachable at the time of reading.
FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv diverts to Tabuk amid onboard incident (Flightradar24 blog) · Flightradar24Timeline paragraphs on the descent, transponder codes and diversion; archived copy taken at 20:34 UTCNetanyahu says one pilot stabbed the other and apparently tried to crash the plane
Claim
Netanyahu's video statement was posted on his Hebrew-language account at 14:05 UTC and, with an English transcript, on the Prime Minister's Office account at 14:35 UTC. He said one pilot stabbed the other and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board. He relayed an Israeli passenger's account that the stabbing pilot was "trying to sabotage the plane's systems" when he was neutralized, and said the pilot was arrested and was being interrogated by Saudi authorities. He said he had instructed the security services to prepare for additional potential threats.
[24]Prime Minister Netanyahu statement on the incident aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 (English transcript and video)
Source excerpt
During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the second pilot, and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board.
The English-language account of the Prime Minister's Office posted the text of Netanyahu's video statement. He attributes the account that the pilot was trying to "sabotage the plane's systems" to an Israeli passenger he spoke with. The Hebrew audio of the video matches the English text.
Prime Minister Netanyahu statement on the incident aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 (English transcript and video) · Prime Minister’s Office of IsraelPost text with the English transcript of the 93-second video, posted 14:35 UTC on September 30, 2026[25]Netanyahu's Hebrew-language post of the video statement on the security incident
Netanyahu's own account posted the video statement about 30 minutes before the Prime Minister's Office posted the English transcript. The post text is a one-line Hebrew introduction.
Netanyahu's Hebrew-language post of the video statement on the security incident · Benjamin NetanyahuPost and 93-second video, posted 14:05 UTC on September 30, 2026Passengers reach Ben Gurion Airport on a replacement flight; India's embassy reports the captain stable
Incident
A replacement flydubai aircraft left Tabuk at 17:40 local time (14:40 UTC), according to the Tabuk airport, and AFP television images showed it landing at Ben Gurion Airport at 15:34 UTC. Reuters reported, citing two security sources, that Saudi Arabia declined an Israeli request to send Israeli military planes to bring the passengers home. At the airport, Netanyahu met passenger Yaniv Hayun, and his office posted that Netanyahu told him: "You are a hero. You deserve a global medal of honor." Hayun told Ynet that "the pilot was trying to destroy the instruments in order to disable the plane," and told Netanyahu, in CNN's translation, that he saw one pilot on the floor and the other on the instrument panel. At 18:56 UTC the Indian embassy in Riyadh said Smit Machchhar, whom Netanyahu had named as the stabbed captain, was in a hospital in Tabuk and was reported to be in stable condition.
[14]UAE's civil aviation authority investigates 'security incident' on flydubai flight (The National)
Source excerpt
A senior flydubai official told The National that the airline could not disclose the nationalities of the two pilots.
Reports the Tabuk airport's account of the distress call and landing times, the GCAA's wording, and a flydubai official's comments on the black boxes.
UAE's civil aviation authority investigates 'security incident' on flydubai flight (The National)Sections on the Tabuk airport statements, the GCAA statement and the flydubai official's comments[15]Netanyahu says pilot arrested after stabbing fellow pilot and apparently trying to crash Israel-bound plane (The Guardian live blog)
Source excerpt
anyone who tried to bring down a plane and murder 180 Israelis should pay as though they had murdered them
The Guardian's live coverage. It gives an English translation of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's post and quotes passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon.
Netanyahu says pilot arrested after stabbing fellow pilot and apparently trying to crash Israel-bound plane (The Guardian live blog) · The GuardianEntries on Smotrich's and Ben-Gvir's posts, Netanyahu's statement, passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon and the Flightradar24 data[26]Prime Minister's Office post on Netanyahu's meeting with passenger Yaniv Hayun at Ben Gurion Airport
Source excerpt
You are a hero. You deserve a global medal of honor.
The post quotes Netanyahu's remarks to a passenger the Prime Minister's Office says broke into the cockpit.
Prime Minister's Office post on Netanyahu's meeting with passenger Yaniv Hayun at Ben Gurion Airport · Prime Minister’s Office of IsraelPost text and photo, 19:25 UTC on September 30, 2026[27]Israeli Foreign Ministry post of passenger Yaniv Hayun describing the cockpit to Netanyahu
Video of Hayun speaking in Hebrew with Netanyahu at Ben Gurion Airport. In it he says the man was at the instruments between the seats and was trying to destroy the instruments to disable the plane.
Israeli Foreign Ministry post of passenger Yaniv Hayun describing the cockpit to Netanyahu100-second video, posted 18:10 UTC on September 30, 2026[28]'I grabbed him, choked him and pulled the controls': Israeli recounts Flydubai cockpit fight (Ynet)
Source excerpt
The pilot was trying to destroy the instruments in order to disable the plane,
Ynet's account of what Hayun told Netanyahu and reporters at Ben Gurion Airport, in Ynet's English translation.
'I grabbed him, choked him and pulled the controls': Israeli recounts Flydubai cockpit fight (Ynet) · Ynet NewsPassage quoting Yaniv Hayun on the instruments[29]Flydubai latest (CNN live updates), passenger Yaniv Hayoun's account to Netanyahu
Source excerpt
“There were no pilots in the seats: one was on the floor, one was on the [panel],” Hayoun said
CNN spells the passenger's name Hayoun. The Prime Minister's Office and Ynet spell it Hayun. CNN's English text translates his Hebrew remarks to Netanyahu. The linked archive copy was captured at 13:19 UTC, before this entry was added.
Flydubai latest (CNN live updates), passenger Yaniv Hayoun's account to Netanyahu · CNNVideo and live update on Yaniv Hayoun's account of entering the cockpit[30]Indian Embassy in Riyadh post on Captain Smit Machchhar's condition
Source excerpt
A full update on his health is awaited but he is reported to be in stable condition.
The embassy says the pilot, whom it names as Mr Smit Machchhar, is in a hospital in Tabuk and receiving necessary medical attention.
Indian Embassy in Riyadh post on Captain Smit Machchhar's conditionPost text, 18:56 UTC on September 30, 2026Saudi and UAE authorities announce investigations
Source release
At 17:07 UTC Saudi Arabia's National Transport Safety Center said its safety investigation team had begun work on the emergency landing and was working with the relevant authorities to establish the circumstances and collect information and evidence. By about 17:57 UTC the Emirates News Agency carried a statement from the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority saying FZ1073 experienced a security incident that was brought under control, that its investigation teams were working to establish the cause and circumstances, and that it urged the public not to circulate unofficial information or speculate ahead of the findings.
[31]National Transport Safety Center statement on the flydubai emergency landing at Tabuk (Arabic)
Arabic-language statement. It says the center received a report about flydubai flight FZ1073, which landed in an emergency at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, that its safety investigation team has begun work, and that it is working with the relevant authorities to establish the circumstances, verify aviation safety aspects and collect information and evidence. The English wording is our translation.
National Transport Safety Center statement on the flydubai emergency landing at Tabuk (Arabic)Image of the statement attached to the post, 17:07 UTC on September 30, 2026[32]National Transport Safety Center begins investigating the flydubai emergency landing at Tabuk (Okaz)
Source excerpt
The National Transportation Safety Center announced that it has begun an investigation into the emergency landing incident of Fly Dubai flight number (FZ1073)
Saudi newspaper report of the center's statement, with an English rendering of the statement.
National Transport Safety Center begins investigating the flydubai emergency landing at Tabuk (Okaz)Arabic report with English translation block[33]GCAA: Security incident involving Flydubai flight FZ1073, bound from Dubai to Tel Aviv, brought under control
Source excerpt
Security incident involving Flydubai flight FZ1073, bound from Dubai to Tel Aviv, brought under control
The UAE civil aviation regulator's statement as carried by the Emirates News Agency. The English body text cited in this case is the copy republished by ARN News Centre.
GCAA: Security incident involving Flydubai flight FZ1073, bound from Dubai to Tel Aviv, brought under control · General Civil Aviation Authority of the United Arab EmiratesWAM item, posted 17:57 UTC on September 30, 2026[34]GCAA: security incident involving flydubai flight brought under control (ARN News Centre copy of the WAM item)
Source excerpt
The authority says its investigation teams, in coordination with the relevant authorities, are working to establish the cause and circumstances of the incident, including a review of operational and security aspects.
English text of the GCAA statement in the news agency's third-person wording. It says some crew members were injured and taken to hospital in Saudi Arabia and that the authority urged the public not to circulate unofficial information or speculate ahead of the findings.
Israeli, UAE and U.S. officials comment on the incident
Reaction
Israel's Foreign Ministry told Israeli ambassadors in a briefing on the evening of September 30 that the incident was an "attempted terrorist attack" against Israelis, the UAE and the Abraham Accords, CNN reported. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar posted at 18:08 UTC that he and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan expressed determination to work together against "extremist elements seeking to harm security and undermine stability in the region." WAM's readout of the call said the UAE minister enquired about the passengers of a flight that "experienced a security incident that was brought under control" and does not mention extremist elements. Separately, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there were "no credible threats" to the United States and that an investigation was ongoing, CNN reported. On the evening of September 30, President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the co-pilot was "perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job" and later said: "They said he wanted to crash. They don't know that. They don't know that kind of information."
[35]Flydubai latest (CNN live updates), Israel's Foreign Ministry briefing and the Emirati foreign minister's call
Source excerpt
Israeli Director General of the Foreign Ministry, Eden Bar Tal, told diplomats in the briefing that “terror will not harm the strong relations” between Israel and the UAE.
CNN's report of the ministry's briefing for ambassadors and heads of missions. CNN cites the ministry's description of the incident as an "attempted terrorist attack" against Israelis, the UAE and the Abraham Accords. We did not locate the ministry's own text. The linked archive copy was captured at 13:19 UTC, before this entry was added.
Flydubai latest (CNN live updates), Israel's Foreign Ministry briefing and the Emirati foreign minister's call · CNNLive update on the Foreign Ministry briefing for Israeli ambassadors[36]Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar post on his call with the UAE foreign minister
Source excerpt
to work together against extremist elements seeking to harm security and undermine stability in the region
Sa'ar's account of a call with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The UAE's own readout of the call uses different wording.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar post on his call with the UAE foreign ministerPost text, 18:08 UTC on September 30, 2026[37]Sheikh Abdullah enquires about wellbeing of passengers on flydubai flight (ARN News Centre copy of the WAM item)
Source excerpt
Sheikh Abdullah enquired about the wellbeing of passengers aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, which experienced a security incident that was brought under control.
The UAE's readout of Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan's call with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, as carried by WAM.
[38]Flydubai latest (CNN live updates), Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin
Source excerpt
Mullin said there were “no credible threats” to the US, adding that an investigation was ongoing
CNN's report of the Homeland Security Secretary's remarks at a press conference on September 30, 2026. The linked archive copy was captured at 13:19 UTC, before this entry was added.
Flydubai latest (CNN live updates), Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin · CNNLive update on Mullin's press conference[39]President Trump answers reporters' questions on the flydubai incident in the Oval Office (video)
Source excerpt
They said he wanted to crash. They don't know that. They don't know that kind of information.
A third-party upload of the White House video feed, which shows the White House on-screen graphic. The quoted words are our transcription of the audio, and the reporter's question before the answer is hard to hear. We did not locate a White House transcript or an upload from the White House account.
President Trump answers reporters' questions on the flydubai incident in the Oval Office (video)Video; the exchange on whether the co-pilot wanted to crash the plane runs from about 3:31 to 3:37; posted 21:16 UTC on September 30, 2026[40]Fox News post on President Trump's remarks about the flydubai co-pilot
Source excerpt
perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job.
Fox News's post quoting Trump's description of the co-pilot. The 32-second clip does not include his answer about whether the co-pilot wanted to crash the plane.
Fox News post on President Trump's remarks about the flydubai co-pilot · Fox NewsPost text and 32-second clip, 21:33 UTC on September 30, 2026flydubai suspends its flights to and from Israel
In a third statement, which posts show by about 19:43 UTC, flydubai said that in coordination with the relevant authorities its flights to and from Israel would be suspended while the investigation continues, to allow the authorities to establish the facts. Ynet reported separately that Israel suspended flydubai flights to Ben Gurion Airport for six days, a period that could be extended depending on the investigation.
[41]flydubai statement 3 on flight FZ 1073 (September 30, 2026)
Source excerpt
flydubai flights to and from Israel will be suspended while the investigation continues.
The airline's third statement, on its newsroom page, announcing the suspension of its flights to and from Israel. Posts quoting it appeared by about 19:43 UTC.
flydubai statement 3 on flight FZ 1073 (September 30, 2026) · flydubaiStatement 3[42]Israel suspends Flydubai flights for 6 days after suspected terror attack (Ynet)
Source excerpt
Israel suspended Flydubai flights to Ben Gurion Airport for six days on Wednesday
Ynet report on Israel's decision and Transportation Minister Miri Regev's position. It says the suspension could be extended depending on the investigation.
Israel suspends Flydubai flights for 6 days after suspected terror attack (Ynet) · Ynet NewsOpening paragraphs
Claims
Claims separate what was said from what is contested. Follow each source for the original wording and context.
What was said
Attributed statement
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement on September 30, 2026 that one of the pilots of flydubai flight FZ1073 stabbed the second pilot and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board, and that an Israeli passenger told him the stabbing pilot was "trying to sabotage the plane's systems."
Sources (3)
- Prime Minister Netanyahu statement on the incident aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 (English transcript and video) · Prime Minister’s Office of IsraelPost text with the English transcript of the 93-second video, posted 14:35 UTC on September 30, 2026
- Netanyahu's Hebrew-language post of the video statement on the security incident · Benjamin NetanyahuPost and 93-second video, posted 14:05 UTC on September 30, 2026
- Netanyahu says pilot arrested after stabbing fellow pilot and apparently trying to crash Israel-bound plane (The Guardian live blog) · The GuardianEntries on Smotrich's and Ben-Gvir's posts, Netanyahu's statement, passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon and the Flightradar24 data
Attributed statement
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on September 30, 2026 that the incident aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 was "an attempted jihadist terrorist attack" and that, according to the initial information in Israel's possession, "the terrorist had one intention: to crash the aircraft with all its passengers."
Sources (3)
- Did Israel have advance warning? Katz links Flydubai attack to 'intelligence-based alerts' (Ynet) · Ynet NewsSection 'Katz: One intention: to crash the aircraft'
- i24NEWS correspondent Amichai Stein post relaying Israel Katz's statementPost text, 13:40 UTC on September 30, 2026
- Pilot stabbed his co-pilot in apparent attempt to crash Israel-bound plane, Netanyahu says (NBC News) · NBC NewsParagraphs quoting prime minister's spokesperson Doron Spielman, Katz and the senior U.S. official
What's disputed
Disputed claim
flydubai said on September 30, 2026 that an altercation occurred in the flight deck of flight FZ 1073, that the underlying reasons and motives behind the event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation, and that all parties should refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts.
flydubai
Sources (2)
- flydubai statement 2 on flight FZ 1073 (September 30, 2026) · flydubaiStatement 2
- flydubai statement 1 on flight FZ 1073 (September 30, 2026) · flydubaiStatement 1
Response record
Responses
Latest recorded positions: 9. Dates: September 30, 2026
Choose one response filter, or select All responses to see the full record.
9 responses on this page
Benjamin NetanyahuDirectly involved"During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the second pilot, and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board. ... while he was trying to sabotage the plane's systems."
CondemnedResponding to: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement on September 30, 2026 that one of the pilots of flydubai flight FZ1073 stabbed the second pilot and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board, and that an Israeli passenger told him the stabbing pilot was "trying to sabotage the plane's systems."
Read more
In a video statement on September 30, 2026, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that one of the pilots of flydubai flight FZ1073 stabbed the second pilot and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board. He said an Israeli passenger told him the plane went into a spin and began to dive, and that the passenger broke into the cockpit with a crew member and together they neutralized the stabbing pilot "while he was trying to sabotage the plane's systems." He said another flight crew on board entered the cockpit and stabilized the plane, that the stabbing pilot was arrested and was being interrogated by Saudi authorities, and that he had instructed the security services to prepare for additional potential threats.
Role at the time: Prime Minister of Israel, in a video statement released by his office
Before the statement
The Prime Minister's Office said at 07:49 UTC that the incident was under control and that all measures were being deployed to return the Israeli passengers, without describing what happened aboard. flydubai's second statement, which an archive copy of its newsroom page shows by 13:21 UTC, described an altercation in the flight deck and said the motives were unknown. By about 13:40 UTC Israel Katz had called the incident "an attempted jihadist terrorist attack" in his own statement. Netanyahu's Hebrew-language post of the video appeared at 14:05 UTC and the English transcript at 14:35 UTC.
After the statement
At 18:41 UTC Netanyahu posted in English that Captain Smit Machchhar, whom he called an Indian pilot, "fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker." At Ben Gurion Airport he met passenger Yaniv Hayun, and his office posted that he told Hayun: "You are a hero. You deserve a global medal of honor." As of September 30, 2026, we did not locate a Saudi statement confirming an arrest or describing questioning, and no investigating authority had reported findings.
Prime Minister Netanyahu statement on the incident aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 (English transcript and video) · Prime Minister’s Office of IsraelPost text with the English transcript of the 93-second video, posted 14:35 UTC on September 30, 2026Netanyahu's Hebrew-language post of the video statement on the security incident · Benjamin NetanyahuPost and 93-second video, posted 14:05 UTC on September 30, 2026Netanyahu says pilot arrested after stabbing fellow pilot and apparently trying to crash Israel-bound plane (The Guardian live blog) · The GuardianEntries on Smotrich's and Ben-Gvir's posts, Netanyahu's statement, passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon and the Flightradar24 dataNetanyahu post saluting Captain Smit Machchhar · Benjamin NetanyahuPost text, 18:41 UTC on September 30, 2026Why this label?
The case asks whether a pilot deliberately tried to crash FZ1073. Netanyahu said the pilot "apparently tried to crash the plane," which asserts the proposition with the hedge "apparently." He attributed the account of what the pilot was doing to an Israeli passenger he had spoken with and did not cite an investigation. Under this case's reference point, an official asserting the attempt is labeled Condemned (an attributed accusation). The hedge and the passenger attribution are part of the record.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Israel KatzDirectly involved"The serious incident on the Flydubai aircraft was an attempted jihadist terrorist attack that was thwarted only thanks to the heroism of several Israeli passengers who broke into the cockpit, overpowered the terrorist and with their own hands returned control of the aircraft to an additional flight crew that was present there ... According to the initial information in our possession, the terrorist had one intention: to crash the aircraft with all its passengers."
CondemnedResponding to: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on September 30, 2026 that the incident aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 was "an attempted jihadist terrorist attack" and that, according to the initial information in Israel's possession, "the terrorist had one intention: to crash the aircraft with all its passengers."
Read more
In a statement issued on September 30, 2026, and published in English translation by Ynet, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the incident aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 was "an attempted jihadist terrorist attack" that was thwarted "only thanks to the heroism of several Israeli passengers" who broke into the cockpit, overpowered the man he called "the terrorist" and returned control of the aircraft to another flight crew. He said that, according to the initial information in Israel's possession, "the terrorist had one intention: to crash the aircraft with all its passengers." In remarks Ynet reported as part of the same day's statements, he also said that when he and the prime minister issue security warnings based on intelligence, both enemies abroad and former officials at home whom he called uninformed would do well to listen.
Role at the time: Minister of Defense of Israel, in a statement issued through his office
Before the statement
Katz's statement was circulating in English by 13:40 UTC, before Netanyahu's video and after flydubai's second statement, which an archive copy of the airline's newsroom page shows by 13:21 UTC. NBC News reported that he did not say how he reached his conclusion. English translations of his Hebrew statement differ: Ynet renders the last clause as "to crash the aircraft with all its passengers," and an i24NEWS correspondent's earlier post renders it as "to crash the aircraft with all of its passengers onboard."
After the statement
Katz said every warning "has several addresses and purposes" and that warnings "never come at the expense of the proactive and offensive activity" of Israeli forces. Ynet reported that he did not say whether the warnings he and Netanyahu had issued included specific information about an aviation threat or about FZ1073. Opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote that the security briefing he received on September 29 contained nothing resembling the incident.
Did Israel have advance warning? Katz links Flydubai attack to 'intelligence-based alerts' (Ynet) · Ynet NewsSection 'Katz: One intention: to crash the aircraft'i24NEWS correspondent Amichai Stein post relaying Israel Katz's statementPost text, 13:40 UTC on September 30, 2026Pilot stabbed his co-pilot in apparent attempt to crash Israel-bound plane, Netanyahu says (NBC News) · NBC NewsParagraphs quoting prime minister's spokesperson Doron Spielman, Katz and the senior U.S. officialWhy this label?
The case asks whether a pilot deliberately tried to crash FZ1073. Katz said the incident was "an attempted jihadist terrorist attack" and that the intention was to crash the aircraft with all its passengers, which asserts the proposition. He framed it as based on "initial information" and did not describe the evidence. We labeled it Condemned. His "terrorist" and "jihadist" characterizations are a separate question this case does not decide. We record them only because they come with his statement about the intention to crash the aircraft.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
flydubaiDirectly involved"At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation. We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts."
Explicitly stayed outResponding to: flydubai said on September 30, 2026 that an altercation occurred in the flight deck of flight FZ 1073, that the underlying reasons and motives behind the event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation, and that all parties should refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts.
Read more
In its second statement on flight FZ 1073, which an archive copy of the airline's newsroom page shows by 13:21 UTC on September 30, 2026, flydubai said an altercation occurred in the flight deck, that the aircraft was secured by on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight, who diverted it and landed it safely at Tabuk, and that all passengers and crew were safe and accounted for. It said the underlying reasons and motives behind the event were unknown and remained subject to a formal investigation, and it urged all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts.
Role at the time: Dubai-owned airline operating FZ1073, in a statement attributed to a flydubai spokesperson
Before the statement
flydubai's first statement said only that FZ 1073 "experienced an incident while en route," had landed safely at Tabuk and that all passengers were safe and accounted for. Israeli media were already reporting a fight between the pilots. Flightradar24 noted the updated statement on its blog at 14:01 UTC.
After the statement
Israel Katz's statement followed by 13:40 UTC, and Netanyahu's video at 14:05 UTC. In a third statement, which posts show by about 19:43 UTC, flydubai said its flights to and from Israel would be suspended while the investigation continues. A senior flydubai official told The National that the airline could not disclose the nationalities of the two pilots and that the circumstances would become clear only once investigators had access to the black boxes.
flydubai statement 2 on flight FZ 1073 (September 30, 2026) · flydubaiStatement 2flydubai statement 1 on flight FZ 1073 (September 30, 2026) · flydubaiStatement 1flydubai statement 3 on flight FZ 1073 (September 30, 2026) · flydubaiStatement 3UAE's civil aviation authority investigates 'security incident' on flydubai flight (The National)Sections on the Tabuk airport statements, the GCAA statement and the flydubai official's commentsWhy this label?
The case asks whether a pilot deliberately tried to crash FZ1073. flydubai confirmed that an altercation occurred in the flight deck but said the reasons and motives were unknown and subject to investigation and asked all parties not to speculate. It neither adopted nor rejected the Israeli officials' account, so we labeled it Explicitly stayed out. We did not use Challenged the characterization: the airline's word altercation describes the event differently from Israel's account, but the statement does not dispute that account.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
General Civil Aviation Authority of the United Arab EmiratesDirectly involved "a security incident involving flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv has been brought under control ... its investigation teams, in coordination with the relevant authorities, are working to establish the cause and circumstances of the incident, including a review of operational and security aspects."
Explicitly stayed outCase context: Did a flydubai pilot try to crash Israel-bound flight FZ1073?
Read more
In a statement carried by the Emirates News Agency (WAM) on September 30, 2026, the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority said flydubai flight FZ1073 experienced a security incident that was brought under control, which required the aircraft to divert and make an emergency landing at Tabuk. It said some crew members were injured and taken to hospital in Saudi Arabia. It said its investigation teams, in coordination with the relevant authorities, are working to establish the cause and circumstances of the incident, including a review of operational and security aspects, and it urged the public not to circulate unofficial information or speculate ahead of the findings.
Role at the time: UAE federal civil aviation regulator, in a statement carried by the Emirates News Agency (WAM)
Before the statement
flydubai had said by 13:21 UTC that the reasons and motives were unknown, and Israeli officials including Katz and Netanyahu had described the incident as a deliberate attempt to crash the plane. Saudi Arabia's National Transport Safety Center had announced at 17:07 UTC that its safety investigation team had begun work. The English wording is the news agency's third-person rendering, as republished by ARN News Centre. Reuters quoted the authority as saying the flight "experienced a security incident that was brought under control."
After the statement
WAM's readout of a call between UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar described the flight as one that "experienced a security incident that was brought under control." Sa'ar's own post said the two agreed to work together against "extremist elements seeking to harm security and undermine stability in the region," a phrase that does not appear in the WAM readout. As of September 30, 2026, we did not locate a further UAE statement on the cause.
GCAA: Security incident involving Flydubai flight FZ1073, bound from Dubai to Tel Aviv, brought under control · General Civil Aviation Authority of the United Arab EmiratesWAM item, posted 17:57 UTC on September 30, 2026Passengers foil bid to crash Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, Israel says, after co-pilot-on-pilot stabbing (Reuters) · ReutersFull report, with Spielman's remarks, the GCAA wording and the Omani-national attributionIsraeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar post on his call with the UAE foreign ministerPost text, 18:08 UTC on September 30, 2026Why this label?
The case asks whether a pilot deliberately tried to crash FZ1073. The authority described the event as a "security incident" but did not say what kind of incident it was or who was responsible. It referred the question of cause to its investigation and asked the public not to pre-empt the findings. We labeled it Explicitly stayed out. The term "security incident" names a category of event and is not a statement about intent.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Bezalel Smotrich"anyone who tried to bring down a plane and murder 180 Israelis should pay as though they had murdered them – as should any country or terrorist organisation that sent them"
CondemnedCase context: Did a flydubai pilot try to crash Israel-bound flight FZ1073?
Read more
In a Hebrew-language post on X at 10:06 UTC on September 30, 2026, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote that Israel must relate to the intention and not to the results. The Guardian's English translation says that "anyone who tried to bring down a plane and murder 180 Israelis should pay as though they had murdered them" and that the same should apply to "any country or terrorist organisation that sent them." The post also gives thanks for the rescue.
Role at the time: Minister of Finance of Israel and chairman of the Religious Zionism party, in a post on X
Before the statement
The post appeared at 10:06 UTC, about three and a half hours before Katz's statement and before Netanyahu's video. At 07:49 UTC the Prime Minister's Office had said only that the incident was under control, and Reuters had quoted spokesperson Doron Spielman as saying it was not believed to have been a hijacking. AeroTime logged a Channel 12 report at 13:02 (UTC+3), which is 10:02 UTC, citing an unnamed senior Israeli official on whether the copilot tried to seize control of the aircraft and crash it. The Guardian's English text is a translation of the Hebrew post.
After the statement
As of September 30, 2026, we did not locate a statement from any investigating authority saying that anyone sent the suspect or that an organization was involved. A senior U.S. official briefed on the Israeli investigation told NBC News there were no indications that Iran directed or was involved. The post gives 180 people aboard.
Bezalel Smotrich post on the plane incident (Hebrew) · Bezalel SmotrichFull original post, 10:06 UTC on September 30, 2026Netanyahu says pilot arrested after stabbing fellow pilot and apparently trying to crash Israel-bound plane (The Guardian live blog) · The GuardianEntries on Smotrich's and Ben-Gvir's posts, Netanyahu's statement, passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon and the Flightradar24 dataPilot stabbed his co-pilot in apparent attempt to crash Israel-bound plane, Netanyahu says (NBC News) · NBC NewsParagraphs quoting prime minister's spokesperson Doron Spielman, Katz and the senior U.S. officialPassengers foil bid to crash Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, Israel says, after co-pilot-on-pilot stabbing (Reuters) · ReutersFull report, with Spielman's remarks, the GCAA wording and the Omani-national attributionWhy this label?
The case asks whether a pilot deliberately tried to crash FZ1073. Smotrich wrote as though the attempt were established ("anyone who tried to bring down a plane") and called for a penalty on that basis. We labeled it Condemned because it asserts the proposition. He cited no evidence for the attempt and did not say that anyone sent the suspect. His reference to a sending state or organization is conditional on someone having sent him.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Marco Chan "someone had to be pushing hard on the controls"
Mixed or conditionalCase context: Did a flydubai pilot try to crash Israel-bound flight FZ1073?
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Marco Chan, a senior lecturer in aviation operations at Kingston University, told CNN that "someone had to be pushing hard on the controls" during the descent of flight FZ1073, likely resulting in a physical "tug-of-war" because the plane's two flight control columns are mechanically linked. He added that "a body falling against a column can also produce large inputs." He said the rate and gradient of the descent suggest the aircraft "very likely" went beyond its maximum operating speed, and that investigators will likely examine the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder first to see each pilot's control inputs and what was said on the flight deck.
Role at the time: Senior lecturer in aviation operations at Kingston University and former airline pilot, quoted by CNN
Before the statement
CNN published the comments in its live coverage on the afternoon of September 30, 2026, after Flightradar24 had posted its altitude and vertical-speed data and before any investigating authority had reported findings. The entry opens with an unnamed aviation expert quoted on the speed of the plunge, which it says was many times the rate of a planned emergency descent, and CNN does not say whether that expert is Chan.
After the statement
Chan said investigators will also interview the crew, the off-duty pilots and passengers and examine how the cockpit door was opened, how the weapon came aboard and the first officer's medical and training history. Flightradar24 said that before the 7700 code its calculated vertical speeds ranged from about minus 30,000 to plus 10,000 feet per minute and that vertical speeds in normal operations rarely exceed 4,000 feet per minute either way.
Flydubai latest: Hero passenger says he put attacker in a chokehold after cockpit struggle (CNN live updates), Marco Chan on the plunge · CNNLive update quoting Marco Chan, Kingston University, on the speed of the plungeFlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv diverts to Tabuk amid onboard incident (Flightradar24 blog) · Flightradar24Timeline paragraphs on the descent, transponder codes and diversion; archived copy taken at 20:34 UTCFlightradar24 post on vertical speeds before FZ1073 squawked 7700 · Flightradar24Post text and chart, 07:36 UTC on September 30, 2026Why this label?
The case asks whether a pilot deliberately tried to crash FZ1073. Chan said the descent indicates sustained pressure on the controls and likely a physical struggle over them, but he also said a body falling against a column can produce large inputs. He did not say any input was deliberate or that the pilot intended to crash the plane, and he pointed to the recorders for evidence on control inputs. We labeled it Mixed or conditional because the statement supports a struggle over the controls without deciding whether any input was deliberate.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
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Prime Minister’s Office of IsraelDirectly involved"there is a strong opinion ... but we can’t be sure until we debrief everybody."
Mixed or conditionalCase context: Did a flydubai pilot try to crash Israel-bound flight FZ1073?
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NBC News reported that Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for Israel's Prime Minister's Office, said "there is a strong opinion" that the incident aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 was a terror attack (NBC's paraphrase), "but we can't be sure until we debrief everybody." NBC did not give the time of the remark.
Role at the time: Spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office of Israel, speaking to NBC News
Before the statement
Around the time the plane landed, Spielman told Reuters the incident was not believed to have been a hijacking but a "different incident," Newsweek reported. NBC's report was first published at 4:56 a.m. EDT and updated through the day, and it does not say when Spielman spoke to NBC. By 13:40 UTC Defense Minister Katz had called the incident an attempted "jihadist terrorist attack."
After the statement
Spielman told Reuters that Israel would identify and run security checks on every pilot flying into Israel. Reuters reported that a Netanyahu spokesperson, not named in that passage, said the wounded captain clicked the release to open the cockpit door and that passengers who entered found the co-pilot bashing at the plane's control panel.
Pilot stabbed his co-pilot in apparent attempt to crash Israel-bound plane, Netanyahu says (NBC News) · NBC NewsParagraphs quoting prime minister's spokesperson Doron Spielman, Katz and the senior U.S. officialFlyDubai Israel Flight Emergency: What We Know About Suspected Hijacking (Newsweek) · NewsweekParagraph on Doron Spielman's remark to ReutersPassengers foil bid to crash Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, Israel says, after co-pilot-on-pilot stabbing (Reuters) · ReutersFull report, with Spielman's remarks, the GCAA wording and the Omani-national attributionWhy this label?
The case asks whether a pilot deliberately tried to crash FZ1073. As NBC reports it, Spielman described a prevailing view that the incident was a terror attack, which implies deliberate intent, and made the conclusion depend on debriefing everyone. NBC's report does not show that he spoke specifically about a crash attempt, so this label is narrower than the Condemned labels we gave Katz and Netanyahu. We used Mixed or conditional because an express condition qualifies the view.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Donald Trump"It seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job, and he stabbed the pilot. ... I don’t know if it’s true ... They said he wanted to crash. They don’t know that. They don’t know that kind of information."
Mixed or conditionalCase context: Did a flydubai pilot try to crash Israel-bound flight FZ1073?
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Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on September 30, 2026, President Donald Trump said he had spoken with Prime Minister Netanyahu at length about the flydubai incident and that "it seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job," and that he stabbed the pilot. He relayed an account of an Israeli passenger who took the controls and said, "I don't know if it's true." He then said: "They said he wanted to crash. They don't know that. They don't know that kind of information."
Role at the time: President of the United States, answering reporters' questions in the Oval Office
Before the statement
Posts quoting the remarks appeared by 21:16 UTC. Asked earlier in the session what he thought the pilot was trying to do, Trump said he had spoken with Netanyahu at length, that there were "a lot of fake stories out there" and that "you never know what's happening." By then Netanyahu, Katz and Smotrich had described the incident as a deliberate attempt to crash the plane, and flydubai and the UAE aviation regulator had said the cause was unknown.
After the statement
In the same remarks Trump described an Israeli passenger who took the controls, which he called "the story that I got" from Netanyahu and others, and said: "I don't know if it's true." As of September 30, 2026, we did not locate a written White House transcript of the exchange, or statements on the cause from the U.S. State Department, the Federal Aviation Administration or the National Transportation Safety Board. CNN paraphrased him as adding that Netanyahu told him he believes the person responsible planned to crash the plane, wording that differs from the quoted remark.
Donald Trump: spoke with Benjamin Netanyahu after flydubai incident, co-pilot possible terrorist (Jerusalem Post)Paragraphs quoting Trump's remarks to reporters in the Oval OfficePresident Trump answers reporters' questions on the flydubai incident in the Oval Office (video)Video; the exchange on whether the co-pilot wanted to crash the plane runs from about 3:31 to 3:37; posted 21:16 UTC on September 30, 2026Fox News post on President Trump's remarks about the flydubai co-pilot · Fox NewsPost text and 32-second clip, 21:33 UTC on September 30, 2026Why this label?
The case asks whether a pilot deliberately tried to crash FZ1073. Trump said "They said he wanted to crash" and then "They don't know that," which treats the crash intent as unestablished. He said his account came from Netanyahu and others and did not say who had made the claim that the co-pilot wanted to crash. He also said the co-pilot was "perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job" and that he stabbed the pilot. We labeled it Mixed or conditional because the statement relays the account that the co-pilot wanted to crash and also says its basis is not known.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Itamar Ben-Gvir "planned to crash a plane and murder the 180 Israelis on board"
CondemnedCase context: Did a flydubai pilot try to crash Israel-bound flight FZ1073?
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In a Hebrew-language post on X at 10:53 UTC on September 30, 2026, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir thanked God and the passengers and wrote that the naive notion that Israel's enemies value life had received another reminder that morning in the form of a terrorist. In Newsweek's English rendering, the terrorist "planned to crash a plane and murder the 180 Israelis on board." The post also argued that Israel's security concept must be raised to a higher level and that Israel must continue its military campaigns in Iran, Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank until they are decisively won.
Role at the time: Minister of National Security of Israel and chairman of the Otzma Yehudit party, in a post on X
Before the statement
The post appeared at 10:53 UTC, about 47 minutes after Smotrich's post and before the Defense Minister's statement and the Prime Minister's video. At 07:49 UTC the Prime Minister's Office had said only that the incident was under control. The Guardian's English rendering says the terrorist "planned to blow up a plane," while Newsweek's says "planned to crash a plane"; the two translations of the Hebrew differ on the verb.
After the statement
As of September 30, 2026, no investigating authority had reported findings on what happened in the flight deck, and we did not locate a public report that anyone had been charged.
Itamar Ben-Gvir post on the plane incident (Hebrew) · Itamar Ben-GvirFull original post, 10:53 UTC on September 30, 2026FlyDubai Israel Flight Emergency: What We Know About Suspected Hijacking (Newsweek), Ben-Gvir's post · NewsweekParagraph quoting Itamar Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich and Naftali BennettDubai-Israel flydubai flight diversion live updates (The Guardian), Ben-Gvir's post · The GuardianEntry quoting Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel SmotrichWhy this label?
The case asks whether a pilot deliberately tried to crash FZ1073. Ben-Gvir described the person responsible as a terrorist who planned to crash the plane and murder the Israelis aboard, which asserts the proposition as established. He cited no evidence for the plan and named no investigating authority. Under this case's reference point, an official asserting the attempt is labeled Condemned (an attributed accusation). The post's larger argument concerns Israel's military campaigns, which this case does not decide.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Sources
(50)
Original post
Prime Minister Netanyahu statement on the incident aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 (English transcript and video)
Excerpt
"During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the second pilot, and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board."
About this source
The English-language account of the Prime Minister's Office posted the text of Netanyahu's video statement. He attributes the account that the pilot was trying to "sabotage the plane's systems" to an Israeli passenger he spoke with. The Hebrew audio of the video matches the English text.
- Author
- Benjamin Netanyahu
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Reporting
Dubai-Israel flydubai flight diversion live updates (The Guardian), Ben-Gvir's post
Relevant passage: Entry quoting Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich
Excerpt
"The naive notion that our enemies value life and deserve our pity was given yet another stark reminder this morning in the form of a terrorist who planned to blow up a plane and murder the 180 Israelis on board."
About this source
The Guardian's English rendering of Ben-Gvir's Hebrew post. Newsweek renders the same clause with "crash" in place of "blow up."
- Author
- Tom Ambrose and Taz Ali
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
FlyDubai Israel Flight Emergency: What We Know About Suspected Hijacking (Newsweek), Ben-Gvir's post
Relevant passage: Paragraph quoting Itamar Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich and Naftali Bennett
Excerpt
"Israel's security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said in a social media post that a "terrorist" had "planned to crash a plane and murder the 180 Israelis on board.""
About this source
Newsweek's English rendering of Ben-Gvir's Hebrew post. The Guardian renders the same clause with "blow up" in place of "crash."
- Author
- Newsweek
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- Accessed
Original post
Itamar Ben-Gvir post on the plane incident (Hebrew)
Excerpt
"התפיסה הנאיבית שהאויבים שלנו חפצי חיים וצריך לרחם עליהם, קיבלה הבוקר תזכורת נוספת בדמות מחבל שתכנן לרסק מטוס ולרצוח את 180 הישראלים שעליו."
About this source
Ben-Gvir's post in Hebrew, about 47 minutes after Smotrich's post. English renderings from Newsweek and The Guardian are cited as separate sources, and they differ on whether the plane was to be crashed or blown up.
- Author
- Itamar Ben-Gvir
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Reporting
Donald Trump: spoke with Benjamin Netanyahu after flydubai incident, co-pilot possible terrorist (Jerusalem Post)
Relevant passage: Paragraphs quoting Trump's remarks to reporters in the Oval Office
Excerpt
"They said he wanted to crash. They don’t know that. They don’t know that kind of information."
About this source
Jerusalem Post report on President Trump's remarks to reporters on September 30, 2026; the page is timestamped 00:41 on October 1, Israel time. It is the text source for the quoted remarks, which the White House video feed shows separately. The report says Trump repeatedly cautioned that he was relaying an account he had received.
- Author
- Idan Kweller
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- Accessed
Original post
Fox News post on President Trump's remarks about the flydubai co-pilot
Excerpt
"perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job."
About this source
Fox News's post quoting Trump's description of the co-pilot. The 32-second clip does not include his answer about whether the co-pilot wanted to crash the plane.
- Author
- Fox News
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- Accessed
Original post
President Trump answers reporters' questions on the flydubai incident in the Oval Office (video)
Excerpt
"They said he wanted to crash. They don't know that. They don't know that kind of information."
About this source
A third-party upload of the White House video feed, which shows the White House on-screen graphic. The quoted words are our transcription of the audio, and the reporter's question before the answer is hard to hear. We did not locate a White House transcript or an upload from the White House account.
- Author
- White House video feed (upload by @RichSementa)
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- Accessed
Original post
Indian Embassy in Riyadh post on Captain Smit Machchhar's condition
Excerpt
"A full update on his health is awaited but he is reported to be in stable condition."
About this source
The embassy says the pilot, whom it names as Mr Smit Machchhar, is in a hospital in Tabuk and receiving necessary medical attention.
- Author
- Embassy of India, Riyadh
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- Accessed
Reporting
Flydubai latest (CNN live updates), Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin
Relevant passage: Live update on Mullin's press conference
Excerpt
"Mullin said there were “no credible threats” to the US, adding that an investigation was ongoing"
About this source
CNN's report of the Homeland Security Secretary's remarks at a press conference on September 30, 2026. The linked archive copy was captured at 13:19 UTC, before this entry was added.
- Author
- CNN
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Flydubai latest (CNN live updates), Israel's Foreign Ministry briefing and the Emirati foreign minister's call
Relevant passage: Live update on the Foreign Ministry briefing for Israeli ambassadors
Excerpt
"Israeli Director General of the Foreign Ministry, Eden Bar Tal, told diplomats in the briefing that “terror will not harm the strong relations” between Israel and the UAE."
About this source
CNN's report of the ministry's briefing for ambassadors and heads of missions. CNN cites the ministry's description of the incident as an "attempted terrorist attack" against Israelis, the UAE and the Abraham Accords. We did not locate the ministry's own text. The linked archive copy was captured at 13:19 UTC, before this entry was added.
- Author
- CNN
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- Accessed
Reporting
Flydubai latest (CNN live updates), passenger Yaniv Hayoun's account to Netanyahu
Relevant passage: Video and live update on Yaniv Hayoun's account of entering the cockpit
Excerpt
"“There were no pilots in the seats: one was on the floor, one was on the [panel],” Hayoun said"
About this source
CNN spells the passenger's name Hayoun. The Prime Minister's Office and Ynet spell it Hayun. CNN's English text translates his Hebrew remarks to Netanyahu. The linked archive copy was captured at 13:19 UTC, before this entry was added.
- Author
- CNN
- Published
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Reporting
Flydubai latest: Hero passenger says he put attacker in a chokehold after cockpit struggle (CNN live updates), Marco Chan on the plunge
Relevant passage: Live update quoting Marco Chan, Kingston University, on the speed of the plunge
Excerpt
"“someone had to be pushing hard on the controls,”"
About this source
CNN's live page, updated through the afternoon of September 30, 2026. This entry reports Chan's comments on what the descent suggests about control inputs and what investigators will examine. The linked archive copy was captured at 13:19 UTC, before this entry was added.
- Author
- CNN
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Reporting
Israel suspends Flydubai flights for 6 days after suspected terror attack (Ynet)
Relevant passage: Opening paragraphs
Excerpt
"Israel suspended Flydubai flights to Ben Gurion Airport for six days on Wednesday"
About this source
Ynet report on Israel's decision and Transportation Minister Miri Regev's position. It says the suspension could be extended depending on the investigation.
- Author
- Itamar Eichner and Iris Lifshitz-Klieger
- Published
- Accessed
Interview
'I grabbed him, choked him and pulled the controls': Israeli recounts Flydubai cockpit fight (Ynet)
Relevant passage: Passage quoting Yaniv Hayun on the instruments
Excerpt
"The pilot was trying to destroy the instruments in order to disable the plane,"
About this source
Ynet's account of what Hayun told Netanyahu and reporters at Ben Gurion Airport, in Ynet's English translation.
- Author
- Itamar Eichner
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Flydubai pilot allegedly tried to crash FZ1073: Netanyahu (AeroTime)
Relevant passage: Timestamped entries at 13:02 and 16:19 (UTC+3)
Excerpt
"Israel’s current assessment is that the incident was an attempted terror attack rather than a mental health-related event, the officials told Reuters."
About this source
AeroTime's running log of the day. It relays a Reuters report citing three unnamed Israeli officials and a Channel 12 report citing an unnamed senior official.
- Author
- Clement Charpentreau, edited by Emma Yates-Badley
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Israel: Flydubai pilot tried to hijack Tel Aviv flight, all passengers safe (The Jerusalem Post)
Relevant passage: Sections on the investigation and the descent
Excerpt
"During the altercation, the aircraft plunged about 4,000 meters, an official noted."
About this source
Jerusalem Post report that relies on unnamed Israeli sources for what investigators are examining. It describes the suspect in terms DI does not adopt.
- Author
- Amichai Stein, James Genn, Yonah Jeremy Bob and Zvika Klein
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Flydubai FZ1073 timeline: How the Israel-bound flight emergency unfolded (Al Jazeera)
Relevant passage: Timeline entries for September 29 and September 30
Excerpt
"Nothing even resembling this morning’s plane incident appeared in the security briefing with the prime minister last night."
About this source
Al Jazeera's timeline, including its English translation of Yair Lapid's post about the security briefing.
- Author
- Al Jazeera Staff
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
FlyDubai Israel Flight Emergency: What We Know About Suspected Hijacking (Newsweek)
Relevant passage: Paragraph on Doron Spielman's remark to Reuters
Excerpt
"Doron Spielman, an Israeli prime ministerial spokesperson, told Reuters it was not believed to have been a hijacking, but a "different incident.""
About this source
Newsweek's early report, updated at 7:42 a.m. EDT, quoting what Spielman told Reuters around the time the plane landed.
- Author
- Newsweek
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Passengers foil bid to crash Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, Israel says, after co-pilot-on-pilot stabbing (Reuters)
Relevant passage: Full report, with Spielman's remarks, the GCAA wording and the Omani-national attribution
Excerpt
"The UAE's aviation regulator, the GCAA, said the flight "experienced a security incident that was brought under control"."
About this source
Later Reuters report, republished by Yahoo. It attributes the Omani-national identification to an Israeli official and says there was no immediate comment from Oman.
- Author
- Alexander Cornwell, Federico Maccioni and Pesha Magid
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Passengers overcame co-pilot who tried to crash flydubai flight, Netanyahu says (CNBC, Reuters report)
Relevant passage: Passages on the Flightradar24 data and the Israeli officials' statements
Excerpt
"The aircraft's flight data showed it suddenly and rapidly descended by nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before a first emergency signal was sent on Wednesday morning, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24."
About this source
Reuters report as carried by CNBC. A later Reuters version is cited separately.
- Author
- Reuters
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Pilot stabbed his co-pilot in apparent attempt to crash Israel-bound plane, Netanyahu says (NBC News)
Relevant passage: Paragraphs quoting prime minister's spokesperson Doron Spielman, Katz and the senior U.S. official
Excerpt
"but we can’t be sure until we debrief everybody."
About this source
NBC News report, first published 4:56 a.m. EDT and updated through the day. It gives no time for Spielman's remark. The classification of the incident in the paragraph is NBC's paraphrase, and only the quoted fragments are Spielman's words. The linked archive copy was captured at 13:53 UTC, before the paragraphs cited here were added.
- Author
- Matt Bradley, Yarden Segev, Chantal Da Silva, Raf Sanchez and Nicole Acevedo
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Netanyahu says pilot arrested after stabbing fellow pilot and apparently trying to crash Israel-bound plane (The Guardian live blog)
Relevant passage: Entries on Smotrich's and Ben-Gvir's posts, Netanyahu's statement, passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon and the Flightradar24 data
Excerpt
"anyone who tried to bring down a plane and murder 180 Israelis should pay as though they had murdered them"
About this source
The Guardian's live coverage. It gives an English translation of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's post and quotes passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon.
- Author
- Tom Ambrose and Taz Ali
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
i24NEWS correspondent Amichai Stein post relaying Israel Katz's statement
Excerpt
"the terrorist had one objective: to crash the aircraft with all of its passengers onboard"
About this source
The earliest post we located that relays Katz's statement, in a correspondent's English rendering. It gives 'objective' where Ynet gives 'intention'.
- Author
- Amichai Stein
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Did Israel have advance warning? Katz links Flydubai attack to 'intelligence-based alerts' (Ynet)
Relevant passage: Section 'Katz: One intention: to crash the aircraft'
Excerpt
"According to the initial information in our possession, the terrorist had one intention: to crash the aircraft with all its passengers."
About this source
Ynet's English translation of Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz's Hebrew statement, including his later remarks on security warnings. Other outlets translate the same statement with slightly different wording.
- Author
- Ynet
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
UAE's civil aviation authority investigates 'security incident' on flydubai flight (The National)
Relevant passage: Sections on the Tabuk airport statements, the GCAA statement and the flydubai official's comments
Excerpt
"A senior flydubai official told The National that the airline could not disclose the nationalities of the two pilots."
About this source
Reports the Tabuk airport's account of the distress call and landing times, the GCAA's wording, and a flydubai official's comments on the black boxes.
- Author
- Amr Mostafa, Thomas Helm, Shweta Jain and Nada AlTaher, The National
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
National Transport Safety Center begins investigating the flydubai emergency landing at Tabuk (Okaz)
Relevant passage: Arabic report with English translation block
Excerpt
"The National Transportation Safety Center announced that it has begun an investigation into the emergency landing incident of Fly Dubai flight number (FZ1073)"
About this source
Saudi newspaper report of the center's statement, with an English rendering of the statement.
- Author
- Okaz (Riyadh)
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
National Transport Safety Center statement on the flydubai emergency landing at Tabuk (Arabic)
About this source
Arabic-language statement. It says the center received a report about flydubai flight FZ1073, which landed in an emergency at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, that its safety investigation team has begun work, and that it is working with the relevant authorities to establish the circumstances, verify aviation safety aspects and collect information and evidence. The English wording is our translation.
- Author
- National Transport Safety Center (Saudi Arabia)
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Sheikh Abdullah enquires about wellbeing of passengers on flydubai flight (ARN News Centre copy of the WAM item)
Relevant passage: Full item
Excerpt
"Sheikh Abdullah enquired about the wellbeing of passengers aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, which experienced a security incident that was brought under control."
About this source
The UAE's readout of Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan's call with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, as carried by WAM.
- Author
- ARN News Staff, from WAM
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
GCAA: security incident involving flydubai flight brought under control (ARN News Centre copy of the WAM item)
Relevant passage: Full item
Excerpt
"The authority says its investigation teams, in coordination with the relevant authorities, are working to establish the cause and circumstances of the incident, including a review of operational and security aspects."
About this source
English text of the GCAA statement in the news agency's third-person wording. It says some crew members were injured and taken to hospital in Saudi Arabia and that the authority urged the public not to circulate unofficial information or speculate ahead of the findings.
- Author
- ARN News Staff, from WAM
- Published
- Accessed
Official statement
GCAA: Security incident involving Flydubai flight FZ1073, bound from Dubai to Tel Aviv, brought under control
Relevant passage: WAM item, posted 17:57 UTC on September 30, 2026
Excerpt
"Security incident involving Flydubai flight FZ1073, bound from Dubai to Tel Aviv, brought under control"
About this source
The UAE civil aviation regulator's statement as carried by the Emirates News Agency. The English body text cited in this case is the copy republished by ARN News Centre.
- Author
- General Civil Aviation Authority, carried by the Emirates News Agency (WAM)
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Flightradar24 post on the codes squawked by FZ1073
Excerpt
"We have NO CONFIRMATION of the nature of the situation on board at this time."
About this source
Flightradar24 posted this while the aircraft was on approach to Tabuk, before any statement from the airline or from Israel.
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Flightradar24 post on vertical speeds before FZ1073 squawked 7700
Excerpt
"For context, vertical speeds during normal operations rarely exceed ±4,000 ft/min."
About this source
Flightradar24 says it observed extreme fluctuations in the transmitted altitude data, with calculated vertical speeds from about minus 30,000 to plus 10,000 feet per minute.
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Flightradar24 timeline post for FZ1073
Excerpt
"Squawk changed to 7700"
About this source
Flightradar24's first timeline post gives 05:31 UTC for the 7700 code and 05:38 UTC for the 7500 code. Its later blog post gives 05:28:48 and 05:35 UTC.
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Flightradar24 post on the altitude drop between 05:22:07 and 05:22:36 UTC
Excerpt
"Between 05:22:07 and 05:22:36 flight #FZ1073 dropped from 30,875 feet to 16,750 feet (-14,125 feet in just 29 seconds)"
About this source
The source of the 14,125-foot, 29-second figure that Reuters and NBC News attribute to Flightradar24.
- Published
- Accessed
Original text
Flightradar24 granular ADS-B data for FZ1073, September 30, 2026
Relevant passage: Rows from 05:21:00 to 05:25:00 UTC (timestamp, altitude, ground speed, vertical speed)
About this source
The data file linked from Flightradar24's blog post. It records barometric altitude, ground speed and reported vertical speed from about 03:03 UTC to 06:58 UTC. Altitude values repeat or are missing between about 05:21:48 and 05:22:16 UTC. The file shows what the transponder reported and nothing about events in the flight deck.
- Published
- Accessed
Original text
FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv diverts to Tabuk amid onboard incident (Flightradar24 blog)
Relevant passage: Timeline paragraphs on the descent, transponder codes and diversion; archived copy taken at 20:34 UTC
Excerpt
"At 05:21 UTC, the flight began a steep descent, followed by a sharp ascent, followed by another sharp descent."
About this source
Flightradar24's own post, updated during September 30, 2026. It reports ADS-B data and quotes flydubai's statements. It says multiple outlets reported a physical altercation between the pilots and does not say what happened in the flight deck. The archived copy is cited because the live page was not reachable at the time of reading.
- Author
- Ian Petchenik
- Published
- Accessed
Official statement
flydubai statement 3 on flight FZ 1073 (September 30, 2026)
Relevant passage: Statement 3
Excerpt
"flydubai flights to and from Israel will be suspended while the investigation continues."
About this source
The airline's third statement, on its newsroom page, announcing the suspension of its flights to and from Israel. Posts quoting it appeared by about 19:43 UTC.
- Author
- flydubai spokesperson
- Published
- Accessed
Official statement
flydubai statement 2 on flight FZ 1073 (September 30, 2026)
Relevant passage: Statement 2
Excerpt
"At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation. We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts."
About this source
The airline's second statement, on its newsroom page. An archive copy of the page captured at 13:21 UTC already carried it. It confirms an altercation in the flight deck and says the aircraft was secured by on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight.
- Author
- flydubai spokesperson
- Published
- Accessed
Official statement
flydubai statement 1 on flight FZ 1073 (September 30, 2026)
Relevant passage: Statement 1
Excerpt
"flydubai can confirm that flight FZ 1073 operating from Dubai International (DXB) to Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) on 30 September experienced an incident while en route."
About this source
The airline's first statement on the flight, on its newsroom page.
- Author
- flydubai spokesperson
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Yair Lapid post on the security briefing and the plane incident (Hebrew), September 30, 2026
Excerpt
"שום דבר שדומה אפילו לאירוע המטוס הבוקר לא הופיע בעדכון הבטחוני עם ראש הממשלה אמש."
About this source
Lapid says nothing resembling the plane incident appeared in the security briefing. Al Jazeera's English translation of the post is cited as a separate source.
- Author
- Yair Lapid
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Yair Lapid post after his security briefing with Netanyahu (Hebrew), September 29, 2026
Excerpt
"ואין סיבה להכניס את הציבור לפאניקה"
About this source
Lapid's post after the briefing. He says he will not breach the confidentiality of the briefing and that there is no reason to put the public in a panic.
- Author
- Yair Lapid
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Bezalel Smotrich post on the plane incident (Hebrew)
Excerpt
"מי שניסה לרסק מטוס ולרצוח 180 ישראלים צריך לשלם כאילו הוא רצח."
About this source
Smotrich's post in Hebrew, about three and a half hours before the Defense Minister's statement. The Guardian's English translation of the post is cited as a separate source.
- Author
- Bezalel Smotrich
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar post on his call with the UAE foreign minister
Excerpt
"to work together against extremist elements seeking to harm security and undermine stability in the region"
About this source
Sa'ar's account of a call with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The UAE's own readout of the call uses different wording.
- Author
- Gideon Sa'ar
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Israeli Foreign Ministry post of passenger Yaniv Hayun describing the cockpit to Netanyahu
About this source
Video of Hayun speaking in Hebrew with Netanyahu at Ben Gurion Airport. In it he says the man was at the instruments between the seats and was trying to destroy the instruments to disable the plane.
- Author
- Yaniv Hayun
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Netanyahu post saluting Captain Smit Machchhar
Excerpt
"Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker"
About this source
Netanyahu names the stabbed pilot as Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar and credits him with opening the cockpit door.
- Author
- Benjamin Netanyahu
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Prime Minister's Office post on Netanyahu's meeting with passenger Yaniv Hayun at Ben Gurion Airport
Excerpt
"You are a hero. You deserve a global medal of honor."
About this source
The post quotes Netanyahu's remarks to a passenger the Prime Minister's Office says broke into the cockpit.
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Prime Minister's Office announcement on the security briefing for opposition leader Yair Lapid
Excerpt
"During the intelligence update, alerts of possible attacks on the various fronts ahead of the elections were presented in detail."
About this source
The Prime Minister's Office account of the briefing it gave the opposition leader the evening before flight FZ1073.
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Netanyahu remarks at the Tel Nof Air Force base, September 29, 2026
Excerpt
"We have indications that, ahead of the elections, our enemies will try to attack us."
About this source
Netanyahu's remarks at the base, as posted by the Prime Minister's Office. He does not say what form an attempt might take or where.
- Author
- Benjamin Netanyahu
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Prime Minister's Office announcement on an aviation incident
Excerpt
"The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel."
About this source
The Prime Minister's Office first statement on the incident. It says Netanyahu held consultations and is monitoring developments and does not describe what happened aboard.
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Netanyahu's Hebrew-language post of the video statement on the security incident
About this source
Netanyahu's own account posted the video statement about 30 minutes before the Prime Minister's Office posted the English transcript. The post text is a one-line Hebrew introduction.
- Author
- Benjamin Netanyahu
- Published
- Accessed
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Did a flydubai pilot try to crash Israel-bound flight FZ1073?
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/cases/did-a-flydubai-pilot-try-to-crash-israel-bound-flight-fz1073
The Dispute Index. "Did a flydubai pilot try to crash Israel-bound flight FZ1073?". First published: 2026-09-30. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/cases/did-a-flydubai-pilot-try-to-crash-israel-bound-flight-fz1073