Israeli security officials believe flydubai pilot attempted to crash plane carrying Israeli passengers as a mass terror attack, Israelis onboard intervened to help prevent a “major disaster.”By World Israel News StaffIsraeli security officials are treating a violent cockpit attack aboard a flydubai flight carrying more than 150 Israelis as a suspected terrorist incident after one pilot allegedly stabbed the other and may have tried to seize control of the aircraft and crash it.Flight FZ1073, traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning, plunged thousands of feet during the struggle before diverting to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.A senior Israeli official said a “major disaster was narrowly avoided,” according to a report by The Jerusalem Post.The suspected attacker, identified in initial Israeli reports as an Omani co-pilot, allegedly stabbed the captain repeatedly inside the cockpit. Israeli officials said investigators are examining whether he intended to take control of the Boeing 737 and deliberately bring it down with the passengers aboard.“The indications are increasingly that this was a terrorist and not a mental-health incident,” Israeli officials said.Authorities cautioned that the investigation is still underway and that the precise motive has not been conclusively established.The incident began while the aircraft was cruising toward Israel. Flight-tracking data showed the plane suddenly losing roughly 14,000 feet — more than 4,000 meters — in less than a minute.The aircraft initially transmitted emergency code 7700, which indicates a general emergency, before switching to 7500, the internationally recognized code for unlawful interference with an aircraft. It later returned to the general emergency code.The alerts immediately raised fears in Israel that an aircraft carrying a large number of Israeli civilians had been hijacked.Israeli fighter jets were scrambled, the country’s air defenses were placed on heightened alert and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened urgent consultations with senior defense officials.“The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.Accounts from passengers later painted a far more violent picture of what happened inside the aircraft.One passenger said the attacking pilot stabbed the other pilot and attempted to force him out of the cockpit while the plane began to dive.Israeli passengers sitting near the front of the aircraft reportedly rushed toward the cockpit and fought with the attacker.“I shouted at them to run and take control of the plane,” one passenger recalled, referring to two additional pilots who were traveling aboard the aircraft.According to the passenger, the Israeli passengers succeeded in removing the attacker from the cockpit, allowing the other pilots to enter and regain control of the aircraft.The wounded pilot was described by the passenger as being in critical condition. An Israeli dentist aboard the flight reportedly provided emergency treatment and helped keep him alive.Another passenger described the aftermath inside the cockpit.“The whole cockpit was full of blood,” she said. “The Israeli guys took control of the situation and grabbed the stabber.”Yasmin Abu Kasis, whose daughter Miriam was aboard the flight, said her daughter heard screams and later described seeing a man with a knife force one of the pilots to the floor.“She said there was blood everywhere,” Abu Kasis said, according to Reuters.Israeli officials said other crew members outside the cockpit heard the struggle, entered and helped overpower the alleged attacker.One official said authorities were still examining whether the suspected attacker intended to crash the aircraft immediately, divert it elsewhere or use it in a larger attack.What investigators increasingly believe, the official said, is that the violence went beyond a spontaneous fight between the pilots.Early reports had described the incident as a physical altercation between members of the flight crew, and a spokesman for Netanyahu’s office initially said it was not believed to be a hijacking.As passenger testimony and additional information emerged, however, Israeli officials said the assessment shifted toward a deliberate attack.Israel now believes the incident may have been an attempt to target the Israelis aboard the flight, although Saudi authorities are continuing to investigate the crew and the suspected attacker.Saudi security forces surrounded the aircraft after it landed in Tabuk, and crew members were questioned.Israeli representatives were also sent to Saudi Arabia to assist with the response, despite Israel and Saudi Arabia having no formal diplomatic relations.Flydubai confirmed only that the flight had experienced an unspecified incident.“Flydubai can confirm that flight FZ 1073 operating from Dubai International (DXB) to Ben-Gurion Airport (TLV) on 30 September experienced an incident while en route,” the airline said.“The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk (TUU), and all passengers are safe and accounted for. The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority.”“Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities. Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available,” the airline added.The carrier planned to dispatch another aircraft to Saudi Arabia to bring the passengers to Israel.The incident also prompted Israel to temporarily close its airspace before reopening it once the flydubai aircraft was safely on the ground.IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir canceled a planned trip to the United States as Israeli officials dealt with the unfolding emergency.The post Pilot attempted to hijack and crash flight carrying Israelis, security officials believe appeared first on World Israel News.