Israel Katz: In-flight incident on Flydubai Boeing 737 Max was an attempted jihadist terror attack
Israeli minister says passengers and other pilots subdued a crew member who allegedly stabbed a pilot and tried to bring down the plane.
Passengers on a Flydubai Boeing 737 Max bound from Dubai to Tel Aviv were preparing for the final hour of the flight on Wednesday morning when chaos erupted over Saudi Arabia.
Israel Katz, Israel's defence minister, said the episode on the aircraft was "an attempt at a jihadist terror attack, which was prevented only thanks to the courage of several Israeli passengers who entered the cockpit, subdued the terrorist and with their own hands returned control of the aircraft to the other crew in the cabin."
What happened on board
According to initial official information, a pilot on the flight stabbed another pilot with a knife and tried to cause the plane to crash. A group of pilots who were travelling among the passengers intervened, overpowered the assailant and re-established control of the aircraft.
Reports indicate the aircraft began to descend after the attack, but the intervention by crew and passengers stopped the situation from turning into a catastrophe. Preliminary information points to the assailant being of Omani origin.
Authorities have opened an investigation and passengers were subsequently secured. Further details about motive and the condition of those injured have not yet been released.
Photo: press material from the event
