Netanyahu says one pilot stabbed the other and tried to crash Flydubai plane

Published September 30, 2026 10:37am ET | Updated September 30, 2026 12:40pm ET



Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the “heroes” who stormed the cockpit to prevent the hijacking of a Flydubai flight in his first address since the incident and revealed that Saudi authorities were interrogating the pilots.

In his video address, Netanyahu cleared up the flurry of details that had emerged about the “extremely serious security incident.” On Wednesday morning, a pilot on a flight to Israel stabbed his copilot, then apparently tried to crash the plane, he said. He said that “almost all” of the passengers were Israelis and were only saved when a passenger and crew member managed to break into the cockpit, stopping the pilot as he attempted to damage the plane’s systems. After subduing the pilot, another crew member entered the cockpit and stabilized the plane.

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