A Flydubai flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced to divert to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday after a co-pilot attacked the captain. Passengers and off-duty pilots intervened to subdue the attacker and prevent the aircraft from crashing.
The 14,000-foot plunge over Jordanian airspace
Flight FZ1073 experienced a sudden and violent loss of altitude while crossing Jordanian airspace. According to Flightradar24, the aircraft descended nearly 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds, a drop that passenger Mika Bauman described as far more intense than any rollercoaster. Following this plunge, the aircraft transmitted multiple emergency signals before altering its course toward Saudi Arabia.
The rapid descent suggests a deliberate attempt to destabilize the aircraft. as the report indicates, the flight eventually landed safely in Tabuk, though the sudden altitude change caused widespread panic among the passengers and crew.
How Tzvika Manes and other passengers neutralized the knife attack
The chaos began when passengers heard screaming emanating from the cockpit. Tzvika Manes, the CEO of the Israeli underwriting firm Barak Leumi, was among the first to rush into the cockpit after his wife alerted a nearby pilot to the noise. Manes and other passengers,including Itzhak Liber, jumped on the attacker to restrain him, discovering that the co-pilot had used a knife to stab the captain.
The scene inside the cockpit was described as bloody and chaotic. Itzhak Liber recorded a video for his family stating that the attacker had been neutralized and was seriously injured. other passengers, such as Yaniv Hayun and Asaf Reguan, also entered the cockpit to assist in subduing the assailant, with some passengers later photographed covered in blood from the struggle.
Smit Machchhar and the off-duty pilots who saved FZ1073
The survival of the flight depended heavily on the presence of additional aviation expertise on board. A second team of pilots traveling in civilian clohes stepped in to ensure the aircraft remained airborne. One of the pilots who fought off the attacker was identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar.
These off-duty pilots allegedly prevented the attacker from gaining full control of the jet and taking it down. According to the source, these professionals took command of the flight, coordinated the emergency signals, and successfully navigated the plane to a safe landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, while a doctor on board assisted the wounded lead pilot.
The Mossad and Shin Bet investigation into a mid-air terror plot
Israeli security agencies are treating the incident as a targeted act of terrorism. The growing consensus among the IDF, Mossad, and Shin Bet is that the co-pilot intended to crash the plane as a terrorist attack. This assessment prompted an urgent meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz to discuss the security breach.
The event echoes the heightened state of alert in the region following the October 7, 2023, attacks. This tension was palpable among passengers, including Miriam Ohayon, who told Israel's Channel 24 about the horror of the cockpit scene , noting that her own brother had been killed in the October 7 attacks.
The missing motive of the Flydubai co-pilot
Despite the swift intervention of the passengers, several critical details remain unknown. The source does not provide the name or nationality of the co-pilot who launched the attack, nor does it explain the specific motive behind the attempt to crash the plane.
It remains unclear whether the attacker acted alone or was part of a coordinated effort. furthermore, the report does not specify how the co-pilot passed Flydubai's security screenings or if there were any prior red flags in the employee's psychological or professional record.
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