Flydubai Passengers Subdue Attacker After Cockpit Stabbing

Passengers on a Flydubai flight en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv have described how they subdued a pilot after he allegedly stabbed the co-pilot and attempted to damage the aircraft's instruments. The plane dropped 17,000 feet in less than two minutes during the incident.

Yaniv Hayun, a passenger who recounted the events to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that he realized something was amiss when the aircraft suddenly lost altitude. "Someone screamed... the light went out," Hayun said in a video posted by Netanyahu. He and other passengers attempted to open the cockpit door, but the injured pilot, who was near the door, made it difficult. The stabbed pilot eventually managed to open the door before collapsing.

Upon entering the cockpit, Hayun reported seeing one pilot down and the alleged attacker manipulating the instruments. "I grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold, and pulled him - first and foremost - outside," Hayun recounted. He and two other passengers then restrained the attacker.

The flight was diverted and landed at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The passengers were later transported to Tel Aviv on a repatriation aircraft, where they were met with celebrations.

"Thank God I'm alive," said passenger Haim Lazarovich, describing the moment the pilot lost control as the most terrifying. Another passenger, 18-year-old Oran Choen, recalled the incident feeling like "hell."

Captain Smit Machchhar, the injured pilot and an Indian national, is in stable condition in the hospital, according to the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia. Prime Minister Netanyahu lauded Machchhar as a "true hero."

The attacker has been arrested and is being questioned by Saudi authorities. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has labeled the incident an "attempted jihadist terror attack," though no official motive has been released.