National Security Minister Ben-Gvir says a terrorist "planned to crash a plane and murder the 180 Israelis on board"
Itamar Ben-GvirMinister of National Security of Israel and chairman of the Otzma Yehudit party, in a post on X
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.
“planned to crash a plane and murder the 180 Israelis on board”
Original post
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Did a flydubai pilot try to crash Israel-bound flight FZ1073?
On September 30, 2026, flydubai flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv, dropped sharply in altitude en route, transmitted emergency transponder codes and landed at Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. flydubai said an altercation occurred in the flight deck, and the Tabuk airport said both pilots were taken to hospital. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other and "apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board," and Defense Minister Israel Katz called the incident "an attempted jihadist terrorist attack." flydubai said the reasons and motives were unknown and subject to a formal investigation. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority and Saudi Arabia's National Transport Safety Center opened investigations. As of September 30, 2026, no investigating authority had reported findings, and we did not locate a public report that anyone had been charged. The disputed claim is whether a pilot deliberately tried to crash the aircraft.
Source and context
Original post
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.
Reporting
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."
Reporting
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."
Before the quotation
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 quotation
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.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why 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.
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“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.”Read statement
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“someone had to be pushing hard on the controls”Read statement
UAE aviation regulator calls FZ1073 a "security incident" under investigation and urges the public not to pre-empt the findings
General Civil Aviation Authority of the United Arab Emirates
“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.”Read statement
Cite this record
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- National Security Minister Ben-Gvir says a terrorist "planned to crash a plane and murder the 180 Israelis on board"
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The Dispute Index. "National Security Minister Ben-Gvir says a terrorist "planned to crash a plane and murder the 180 Israelis on board"". First published: 2026-09-30. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/3891-in-a-hebrew-language-post-on-x-at