Israeli leaders said today a “jihadist” pilot had tried to crash a flydubai jet carrying largely Israeli passengers, who overpowered him and averted “a major disaster”.
“During the flight, when they were getting closer to the country, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot, and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message.
He told AFP he spoke to an Israeli passenger who had broken into the cockpit as the plane began to dive, and fought with the captain who was trying to take the plane down.
\”Another member of the air crew that was on the plane entered the cockpit and succeeded in bringing the plane back to stability,\” Netanyahu said.
My honour to these heroes is for their incredible resourcefulness and bravery. They saved a lot of lives, they averted a big disaster.”
The event was “an attempted jihadist terror attack” that was “thwarted only thanks to the heroism of several Israeli passengers,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said.
Katz did not disclose his source for the motive he attributed to the pilot, whose name has not been released.
“The man who stabbed his colleague has been arrested and is being interrogated by the Saudi authorities,” Netanyahu stated.
“I have directed the security services to be prepared for any other possible threats. “We are constantly assessing the situation,” Netanyahu stated.
Netanyahu warned of possible assaults ahead of Israel’s election on October 27, a day earlier, sparking opposition chief Yair Lapid to accuse him of fear-mongering.
Katz, taking a veiled shot at Lapid, said the government’s security warnings should be taken seriously by “both our enemies outside and former insiders who are not up to date”.
About the Author
