A passenger aboard an Israel-bound flydubai flight has alleged that one of the pilots attacked the co-pilot during the journey, resulting in an emergency diversion to Saudi Arabia.
Passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon said the aircraft was “pretty much out of control” when the stabbing occurred while the flight was travelling over Jordan on its route from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
Speaking to reporters by phone at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, where her mother was waiting for her, Ohayon alleged that the incident involved an attempt to take control of the aircraft and crash it.
“The co-pilot tried to murder the pilot and basically carry out a suicide attack on the plane,” she told reporters.
She said passengers feared the aircraft was heading towards a crash until several people intervened and restrained the co-pilot.
“It was really on the way to crashing, and it was simply the resourcefulness of many people who took control of the co-pilot and neutralised him,” she said.
According to Ohayon, a doctor among the passengers also provided medical assistance to those involved in the incident.
“There was also a doctor who gave first aid, and people who treated both of them. Other than the pilot, there were no injuries, but the bigger fear was really a crash, which is exactly what he was trying to do.”
A video reportedly recorded inside the aircraft and later shared by Israeli social media users showed a passenger with blood running from an open wound on his head appealing for assistance.
The passenger said those aboard the aircraft had restrained people involved in the incident and were preparing to land in Saudi Arabia.
READ ALSO:
- NLC, TUC Give FG Until Tuesday to Address Workers’ Demands
- Actor Francis Duru Passes Away
- Tinubu Paid for My Dubai Treatment When I Was Ill — Salawa Abeni
- Family, Friends Celebrate Modupe Dada Two Years After Death
- FirstBank Sustains 65-year Commitment to Lagos Amateur Open Golf
“We are here during an attack on the plane. We just subdued the terrorists and are preparing to land,” the man said in Hebrew.
“Anyone who can hear me, we need help. We are about to land in Tabuk, apparently in Saudi Arabia. An unknown area. All the passengers are safe and well, except for the pilot. We need help.”
Ohayon’s mother, Yasmin Abukasis, said her daughter had been travelling to attend a service for her brother, who was killed in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
Speaking to AFP, Abukasis said her daughter believed the passengers were in serious danger during the incident.
The daughter “thought they were going to die”, Abukasis told AFP, adding that one woman “went to the (cockpit) and saw a lot of blood”.
She further said there were two other pilots aboard the aircraft who took control after the incident and diverted the plane towards Saudi Arabia.