180 passengers arrive safely in Israel after DM Katz affirms incident investigated as ‘jihadist terrorist attack’

A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv almost crashed and was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning after one of the pilots attacked his colleague. Israeli Defense Minister Katz affirmed Wednesday evening that Israel is treating the incident as an “attempted jihadist terrorist attack.”

Early Wednesday evening, the nearly 180 passengers, almost all of them Israeli citizens, arrived safely at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv after being flown from Tabuk by another flydubai aircraft.

On Wednesday afternoon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed most of the details surrounding the incident, praising the passengers. He called them “heroes, who displayed exceptional resourcefulness and courage. They saved many lives. They prevented a huge disaster.”

“During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the second pilot, and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board,” the prime minister said.

Israeli courage in action. 🇮🇱

Thanks to the extraordinary courage of Israeli passengers and the Emirati crew, the flight landed safely at Ben Gurion Airport .

🎥 @itsmezina__ pic.twitter.com/g83NmAk6Jw

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) September 30, 2026

“I spoke with one of the Israeli passengers. He told me that the plane went into a spin and began to dive. He told me that, somehow or other, he managed to break into the cockpit with one of the crew members, and that together they neutralized the stabbing pilot while he was trying to sabotage the plane's systems. Another flight crew on board entered the cockpit and managed to stabilize the plane.”

Netanyahu also noted, “The stabbing pilot was arrested and is currently being interrogated by the Saudi authorities... I have instructed the security services to prepare for additional potential threats. We are holding ongoing situation assessments, and we will update you as the situation develops.”

According to several media reports, the attacker, whose Omani origin has not yet been officially confirmed, was taken to a hospital and is now being investigated by Saudi authorities.

I24 News reported that the initial assessment by Israeli security points toward a lone wolf attacker, though possible Iranian involvement is also being investigated. The report also noted serious concern about possible copycat attacks.

Mohsen Rezaei, Iran's secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, issued a warning to Saudi Arabia after the incident, writing on 𝕏: “Just as hosting U.S. military bases has not brought you security, hosting the ‘Butcher of Gaza’ will also not have favorable consequences. Learn from the last war, stop igniting wars, and cease issuing baseless claims regarding the Iranian islands!”

The incident came at a time when relations between Israel and its Abraham Accords partner, the United Arab Emirates, were already tense, following reports that Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed had warned Netanyahu ahead of Oct. 7, followed by an initially secret visit by Netanyahu.

The stabbed pilot of flydubai flight FZ 1073, who helped prevent its hijacking by the co-pilot, is Indian Captain Smit Machchhar, who is based in Dubai, not an Emirati pilot as originally described by Israeli officials. https://t.co/dpr1SKkQJW pic.twitter.com/GgsyMxS2wY

— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) September 30, 2026

Contrary to initial reports, Israeli media said that the second pilot, who was stabbed by the attacker, wasn’t Emirati but Indian, identifying him as Captain Smit Machchhar.

A security source told Army Radio on Wednesday evening that the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency, the Mossad, the National Security Council and the Ministry of Transport are working to submit recommendations for safety measures to ensure the return of Israelis who are on vacation in the UAE or landed on flights from other destinations in Dubai.

Meanwhile, Israel and the UAE agreed on new security measures to ensure the continuation of flights between Israel and Dubai, according to Channel 12 News. The Israeli airline El Al later announced it would resume daily connections to Dubai, presumably due to its higher security standards. Over the past few months, flydubai had been the only connection between Tel Aviv and Dubai.

“Flydubai and Etihad are the only two airlines in the world that continued flying to Israel even during the most difficult times,” noted Amir Hayek, Israel’s first ambassador to the Emirates.

“The UAE and the airline deserve for us to set aside speculation and allow them to thoroughly investigate what actually happened. I trust them,” he wrote on 𝕏.

Netanyahu reportedly discussed the incident on the phone with the president of the UAE, Mohamed bin Zayed, and was due to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump later on Wednesday evening.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed reports pointing to a terrorist motivation behind the incident. Initial reports had suggested a violent dispute between the pilots or a possible suicide attempt by one of the pilots, without a terror connection.

“The serious incident on the flydubai aircraft was an attempted jihadist terrorist attack, thwarted only thanks to the bravery of several Israeli passengers who broke into the cockpit, subdued the terrorist, and with their own hands restored control of the aircraft to an additional crew of pilots who were present there,” said Katz.

“According to the initial information we have, the terrorist's intention was one: to crash the plane with all its passengers. When the Prime Minister and I issue security warnings and alerts based on intelligence, it would be wise for everyone - both our enemies from outside and the uninformed former officials from within - to listen and take it seriously.”

“And most importantly: the warnings never come at the expense of the proactive and offensive activity that we are leading together with the IDF against every threat – and they are not a substitute for it,” Katz added.