Israel-bound airliner makes emergency landing in Saudi Arabia; co-pilot may have planned to crash

[Cairo Current Affairs] A passenger plane heading from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Tel Aviv, the commercial capital of Israel, made an emergency landing at an airport in Saudi Arabia on September 30th. It appears that the co-pilot tried to stab the captain and cause the plane to crash, but was thwarted. According to Reuters, Saudi authorities have detained the co-pilot and are investigating the incident in cooperation with the UAE and other countries. All of the approximately 180 passengers were safe.

Israel-bound passenger plane makes emergency landing; co-pilot may have planned to crash

The plane was operated by UAE low-cost carrier flydubai. The co-pilot is an Omani national. The captain was initially reported to be a UAE national, but he is actually an Indian national.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that he was deeply concerned about the "serious incident" and had "directed us to prepare for further potential threats." Israeli authorities determined that the incident was a terrorist attack by Islamic extremists, targeting Israelis, who made up the majority of the passengers. From now on, the airline plans to conduct thorough background checks on pilots flying to and from the country.

According to reports, the plane suddenly changed course over Jordan and issued an emergency signal. It plummeted from an altitude of about 10,400 meters to about 4,300 meters in about 30 seconds. Off-duty pilots who were on board the plane entered the cockpit, subdued the co-pilot, and forced the plane to land in Tabuk, northwestern Saudi Arabia.