Flydubai plane hijacked – passengers fend off attack on pilot

180 passengers were on board Flydubai's FZ1073 when sounds of a violent confrontation were heard from the cockpit two hours after the plane had taken off.

- The door was ajar and I saw an attempt to push someone out, says Daniel to The Times of Israel Daniel calls.

- Then they opened the cockpit and we saw blood, and someone had stabbed the pilot with a pocket knife, another passenger told the Keshet 12 TV channel.

Daniel tells how three other travelers came to see what had happened. Then the plane crashed.

- With the nose down, in a very strong rotation, he says.

Suddenly the plane stabilized. Daniel didn't understand what was happening. He later learned that one pilot had stabbed the other in the cockpit, but that the perpetrator had been overpowered. Then two other off-duty pilots took over the controls.

- The rotation ended. It took a while—I don't know, it felt like forever, but I think it was at least two or three minutes. The plane simply nosedived and spun wildly. It felt like it's over. It's over. September 11 is happening again.

The plane then turned around to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Both pilots were injured and had to be treated in the air by cabin crew and private individuals.

In a clip posted on social media, the wall next to it and people around the victims are covered in blood. One casualty appears to be a first mate, based on his clothing and the stripes on the epaulettes on his shirt. His eyes are closed and it is unclear if he is conscious.

The other man has no shirt on. There are electrodes from a defibrillator on his chest, but it is unclear if they were used. He is conscious.

- Don't sleep, do you feel like you want to sleep? Asks someone outside the picture and the man shakes his head.

The situation is messy and the conversations are incoherent, but in the clip the people talk, among other things, about being on guard and saying that they stopped an attack on the pilot.

The video has been analyzed by DN. People in the clip also appear in still images in other parts of the plane. The decor and clothing are consistent with Flydubai's plan and staff.

At 08.58 the plane landed in Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. The passengers disembarked and the pilots were taken to hospital. According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the person suspected of the stabbing has been arrested and questioned by the police.

Both the Israeli opposition and the government have praised the travelers who intervened. Netanyahu has said that only the actions of the "heroic passengers" could prevent a disaster.

The stranded passengers were picked up at 5pm by a rescue plane from Flydubai. In clips on social media, they can be seen cheering when the plane landed in Israel.

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