A senior UAE official has called the attempted hijacking of the FlyDubai flight to Israel an “act of terrorism”.
Anwar Gargash, an adviser to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, also praised the Indian pilot who was stabbed, saying he “embodied the meaning of courage”.
He wrote on X: “The Indian pilot at "Flydubai," Smit Mathur, deserves every bit of appreciation, for he embodied the meaning of courage and responsibility in the face of a dangerous terrorist act and a potential disaster.”
It comes as Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel was looking into whether the co-pilot had acted under anyone's direction, warning in a video statement released by his office that whoever was involved would pay a "heavy price".
Most of the passengers on board were Israeli nationals.
New footage shows chaotic scenes aboard a FlyDubai flight to Israel as passengers wrestled a man who attacked his co-pilot with an axe.
Terrified people on the flight are seen speaking in a mixture of Hebrew and English as they call for a doctor and a pilot. Others shout “take him out” and “he tried to crash the plane” in the video shared by Israel’s Channel 12 news.
Read MoreAir travel expert gives verdict on three key issues of the Flydubai plane hijacking
Indian pilot hero tells of FlyDubai cockpit horror attack: 'I had so many wounds'
How the FlyDubai hijacking could help Netanyahu stay in power
Key Points
- Senior UAE official calls Israel flight hijacking act of 'terrorism'
- Netanyahu says ‘whoever sent attacker will pay heavy price’
- ‘Hero’ pilot ‘talking, smiling and laughing’, Indian envoy to UAE says after hospital visit
- Attacker was suicidal and shouting 'kill me' after being subdued, says Netanyahu
- Wounded captain says he had to get back on feet to save passengers
Flydubai pilot reveals desperate attempts to unlock cockpit door
05:30 , Rituparna ChatterjeeThe Indian airline captain who was stabbed while foiling an alleged attempt by his co-pilot to crash a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv has recalled the moment he managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and restrain the attacker.
In a video call to the Indian prime minister while recovering in an Abu Dhabi hospital, Capt. Smit Machchhar said he knew he had to get back up to save the passengers aboard the aircraft.
"When I was on the ground, I realised that the aircraft is going down. And I told myself, 'This is the last push, Smit. The door is right there.' I was still getting hit, but I opened the door,” Mr Machchhar said.
'It was like the craziest roller coaster': Passenger recalls FlyDubai plane's sudden descent
05:00 , Rituparna ChatterjeePassenger Adam Polo, who was on the FlyDubai plane with his family told CNN the sudden descent felt “like a normal air pocket”.
But soon “the electricity, all of the multimedia system and the air conditioning in the airplane stopped working”, he said.
“People that were standing in the aisle or just going to the toilet, they fell, anyone that wasn’t sitting fell. So it was like the craziest roller coaster that you ever did, but multiplied by a thousand,” he told the news outlet.
What happened on the hijacked Israel flight and who was behind it?
04:42 , Rituparna ChatterjeeThe Flydubai flight FZ1073 incident has heightened security fears in Israel weeks before Israelis vote in the first election since the Hamas-led October 7 attack, with security a defining issue.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday named the pilot who was attacked as Captain Smit Machchhar, and praised him as a "true hero" for fighting back against the attacker and opening the cockpit door.
Flight FZ1073 took off from Dubai International Airport shortly after 3am UTC on Wednesday morning and was heading for Israel when it signalled an emergency code two hours into its journey, according to tracking website FlightRadar24.
Oman barred FlyDubai co-pilot from flying over extremism concerns
04:31 , Rituparna ChatterjeeThe FlyDubai co-pilot who stabbed a plane's captain in an apparent attempt to crash a flight with 182 people on board was barred from flying in his native Oman over security concerns, according to reports.
Though the pilot – an Omani national – was banned by his country, he was still hired by FlyDubai, according to the Wall Street Journal.
However, the nature of his radicalisation has not been shared.
Flydubai suspends flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv
03:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainFlydubai has suspended flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv while authorities investigate the cockpit attack.
The suspension has left passengers stranded and Israeli airlines El Al, Israir and Arkia are planning rescue flights from Dubai to bring travellers back on Friday.
Israel’s transportation ministry has also made an urgent request to Etihad Airways to increase flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.
In-flight attack on FlyDubai pilot puts aviation security measures under fresh scrutiny
02:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainIsrael has some of the world’s most stringent air travel security measures. The United Arab Emirates proudly adheres to international aviation safety standards. Yet those safeguards failed to prevent a flight between the countries from taking a dangerous plunge during an alleged attack in the cockpit.
The copilot allegedly stabbed the captain in the cockpit before passengers intervened aboard FlyDubai Flight FZ1073 after taking off from Dubai, UAE, with 174 people flying to Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday.
The airplane made a safe emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and the incident is under investigation by Saudi, Emirati and Israeli authorities, with the United States and Oman assisting efforts to determine a motive.
In-flight attack on FlyDubai pilot puts aviation security measures under fresh scrutiny
How a six-year-old girl helped avert Israel flight disaster after pilot stabbed
01:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA six-year-old girl played a crucial role in preventing a major disaster when a co-pilot attacked a flight captain on board a FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
Nina Manes happened to ask her mother Tali to take her to the lavatory on board the flight just as the man, who is an Omani national but has not been named, attacked Indian Cpt Smit Machchhar by stabbing him repeatedly.
Her mother raised the alarm after she heard shouting coming from the cockpit prompting cabin crew to rush to the scene.
How a six-year-old girl helped avert Israel flight disaster after pilot stabbed
How the FlyDubai hijacking could help Netanyahu stay in power
00:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe motives for an alleged hijacker to try and plunge a plane bound for Israel are vivid - and they are opaque.
But whether the attempt on Flight FZ1073 was in revenge for the thousands killed by Israel’s forces in Gaza or the consequences of a psychotic breakdown, only one person benefits. Benjamin Netanyahu.
Sam Kiley reports:
How the FlyDubai hijacking could help Netanyahu stay in power
Air travel expert gives verdict on three key issues of the Flydubai plane hijacking
23:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe alleged hijacking of an Israel-bound flight has raised questions over how secure the vetting process is for one of aviation’s most skilled jobs.
Flydubai FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv rapidly descended during a terrifying ordeal as the co-pilot allegedly tried to take control of the plane after attacking his fellow pilot with an axe, or possibly stabbing him.
It is still unclear why the co-pilot to acted in this way. Yet the question remains: how was this person able to bypass rigorous background checks and be given the responsibility of flying planes?
Air travel expert gives verdict on three key issues of the Flydubai plane hijacking
Netanyahu says ‘whoever sent attacker will pay heavy price’
22:02 , Maryam Zakir-HussainBenjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel was looking into whether the co-pilot had acted under anyone's direction, warning in a video statement released by his office that whoever was involved would pay a "heavy price".
Most of the passengers on board were Israeli nationals.
Netanyahu on Thursday said that the co-pilot, whom he has identified as an Omani national, had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination and was clearly suicidal, but that so far a motive for his actions had not been established.
Senior UAE official calls Israel flight hijacking act of 'terrorism'
22:01 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA senior UAE official has called the attempted hijacking of the FlyDubai flight to Israel an “act of terrorism”.
Anwar Gargash, an adviser to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, also praised the Indian pilot who was stabbed, saying he “embodied the meaning of courage”.
He wrote on X: “The Indian pilot at "Flydubai," Smit Mathur, deserves every bit of appreciation, for he embodied the meaning of courage and responsibility in the face of a dangerous terrorist act and a potential disaster.
“His professionalism and moral sense in the darkest of circumstances make him a true hero. Far from the easy reduction of what happened or the adoption and promotion of conspiracy theories, vigilance and caution remain essential in confronting the risks of extremism and terrorism.”
يستحق الطيار الهندي في "فلاي دبي" سميت ماتشهار كل التقدير، فقد جسّد في مواجهة عمل ارهابي خطير وكارثة محتملة معنى الشجاعة والمسؤولية. مهنيته وحسّه الأخلاقي في أحلك الظروف يجعلان منه بطلاً حقيقياً.
— د. أنور قرقاش (@AnwarGargash) October 2, 2026
بعيدا عن الاختزال السهل لما جرى أو تبني وترويج نظريات المؤامرة، تبقى اليقظة…
Wounded captain says he had to get back on feet to save passengers
22:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe FlyDubai captain told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he knew he had to get back on his feet to save everyone on board, after he was stabbed by his co-pilot and the aircraft plunged into a steep descent.
“I had so many wounds. I had fallen down,” Capt. Smit Machchhar said from a hospital in Abu Dhabi.
“I was fighting for my life. At one point I realized that if I didn’t get up … then passengers would lose their lives.”
Machchhar was seriously injured in Wednesday’s attack but managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and restrain the attacker as the Boeing 737 descended sharply, witnesses and Israeli authorities said.
The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, with 182 people on board, was diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia for an emergency landing.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker, an Omani national, was arrested in Saudi Arabia.
His motive for the attack was not immediately clear.
Israel was set to begin repatriation flights to bring back passengers stranded in the United Arab Emirates after commercial travel between the two countries was suspended following the attack.
Israeli strikes kill 2 people in Gaza City, local health officials say
21:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainTwo separate Israeli strikes in Gaza City killed two people and wounded at least another, according to health officials at the Shifa hospital and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
Israel’s military acknowledged carrying out the strikes, saying that it hit militants in the areas, without elaborating.
Separately, the military said that it also killed a “Hamas sniper” in an airstrike in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis area, identifying him as Tamer Hamaida.
Palestinian health officials said Hamaida was killed in a strike carried out Thursday night.
The Israeli military’s chief Arabic-language spokesperson, Ella Waweya, said this week that the military targeted 70 militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups in the Gaza Strip in September.
Palestinians reported a surge in the strikes across the enclave over the past month.
Watch: Netanyahu says Flydubai co-pilot underwent Islamist radical indoctrination
20:10 , Maira ButtFlydubai suspends flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv
19:40 , Maira ButtFlydubai has suspended flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv while authorities investigate the cockpit attack.
The suspension has left passengers stranded and Israeli airlines El Al, Israir and Arkia are planning rescue flights from Dubai to bring travellers back on Friday.
Israel’s transportation ministry has also made an urgent request to Etihad Airways to increase flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.
Watch: Flydubai pilot reveals desperate attempts to unlock cockpit to passengers while being attacked
19:10 , Maira ButtCaptain Smit Machchhar: Modi and Trump hail ‘hero’ Indian pilot who opened cockpit door after being stabbed
18:40 , Maira ButtUS president Donald Trump and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi hailed the “hero” pilot who saved passengers from an attempted hijacking.
Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, fought off his co-pilot who stabbed him during an attempted midair attack on a flight to Israel.
Trump said he spoke to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the incident. He hailed Cpt Machchhar as a "hero" for fighting off the knife attack from the co-pilot, opening the cockpit door, and calling for help to foil a bid to crash the aircraft.
Modi and Trump hail ‘hero’ Indian pilot who opened cockpit door after being stabbed
Analysis: How the FlyDubai hijacking could help Netanyahu stay in power
18:10 , Maira ButtThe motives for an alleged hijacker to try and plunge a plane bound for Israel are vivid - and they are opaque.
But whether the attempt on Flight FZ1073 was in revenge for the thousands killed by Israel’s forces in Gaza or the consequences of a psychotic breakdown, only one person benefits. Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister had just taken a similar flight path from the UAE to Israel as the ill-fated FlyDubai passengers.
He had been in Abu Dhabi, Israeli media has reported, because he was trying to get the president of the Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to say publicly that he had not warned Netanyahu about the October 7 2023 Hamas-led massacres.
How the FlyDubai hijacking could help Netanyahu stay in power
Passenger describes moment Flydubai plane plunged 17,000ft
17:40 , Maira ButtA passenger on the Flydubai flight has described the moment the aircraft plunged more than 17,000ft during the cockpit attack, saying it felt like a “rollercoaster”.
Adam Polovincik told the BBC that as the plane nosedived, he hugged his six-year-old son and three-year-old daughter “really hard”. He said that he tried to stay calm as the attack unfolded.
He said there had been a “huge degree of panic” on the plane as there was a “very, very, very sharp decrease in height”.
The aircraft later regained control after passengers and crew intervened and landed safely at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia.
Indian pilot received training in New Zealand
17:10 , Maira ButtCaptain Smit Machchhar trained as a pilot at Mainland Air in the New Zealand city of Dunedin for 18 months, beginning in 2008, the school's CEO, Philip Kean, told 1News.
Kean said Machchhar "did very well" as a student and later returned to India where he worked as a recruiter for the school.
"We're all very proud of him here and wish him a speedy recovery," he said.
SpiceJet, in a post on X, praised Machchhar's "heroic courage" and "selfless actions."
"You are a hero to us all, Captain," the airline wrote.
After he was injured in the cockpit, Machchhar was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, said late Wednesday.
Embassy officials were in contact with his family and Saudi authorities.
Inside FlyDubai's 4-hour ordeal: A cockpit fight, steep descents and alternating distress codes
05:20 , Maroosha MuzaffarThis is a timeline of the four hours Flydubai flight 1073 was in the air as a wounded captain fought off his co-pilot, the aircraft went into a dive, and passengers saved the day by regaining control and landing safely.
For 200 seconds, the aircraft zigzagged as if on a terrifying roller coaster ride after a precipitous loss of altitude.
The plane then climbed before dropping once more.
Ultimately, the Boeing 737 Max 8 made an emergency landing at a Saudi airport.
Read more here:
Inside FlyDubai's 4-hour ordeal: A cockpit fight, steep descents and alternating distress codes
‘Hero’ pilot ‘talking, smiling and laughing’, Indian envoy to UAE says after hospital visit
04:50 , Maroosha MuzaffarCapt Smit Machchhar is in the UAE and is recovering well after being seriously injured in the Flydubai cockpit attack.
India’s ambassador to the UAE, Deepak Mittal, visited Machchhar in hospital and said he was “in good health and recovering well.”
Indian Embassy in the UAE wrote on X: “Ambassador Deepak Mittal visited Captain Smit Machchhar and his family at the hospital. Captain Machchhar is in good health and recovering well. The Embassy remains in close coordination with local authorities to ensure his continued medical care and well-being.”
The ambassador also said Machchhar and his family were “talking openly, smiling and laughing, which was a huge relief for us and, most importantly, for their family”.
He was initially treated in Tabuk in Saudi Arabia after the emergency landing and was then moved to Abu Dhabi for continued medical care.
Trump warns Tehran would be ‘hit very hard’ if Flydubai attack linked to Iran
04:20 , Maroosha MuzaffarUS president Donald Trump has warned that Iran would be “hit very hard” if it was found to have been involved in the attack.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel were generally barred from flying there, raising questions over how the suspected Omani pilot was allowed on the Flydubai flight.
He said: “Obviously there was a loophole here and we’re taking care of that among other things... with the full co-operation, I have to say, of the Emirati government, so we’re both interested in making sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Oman, unlike the UAE, does not have formal diplomatic ties with Israel.
Asked whether there was evidence of Iranian involvement, Netanyahu said: “It’s too early to say.”
Netanyahu says Flydubai attacker had undergone ‘Islamist radical indoctrination’
03:50 , Maroosha MuzaffarIsraeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the pilot accused of stabbing his Indian co-pilot and attempting to take over a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination”.
The plane plunged 17,000ft in less than two minutes before passengers and crew overpowered the attacker and helped land it safely in Saudi Arabia.
Netanyahu said it was looking “very likely” that the attacker, reportedly an Omani national, “was going to down the plane” before he was stopped.
However, a motive has not been established, with UAE authorities investigating whether the incident was linked to “terrorist activity or purpose”.
Netanyahu also told Fox News that the attacker was “calling out to the aircrew ‘kill me, kill me’, so it’s clear he was suicidal - that’s not a question”.
Recap: Israel’s Shin Bet had security concerns about UAE airports weeks before hijacking attempt: report
03:00 , James ReynoldsThe head of Israel’s security agency had raised security concerns about flights from the UAE for months before a pilot attempted to hijack a Flydubai passenger plane travelling to Tel Aviv, according to a report.
David Zini, the director of Israel’s Shin Bet, had reportedly clashed with Israeli airlines over restrictions on flights to the UAE, with the agency reasoning that security measures at Emirati airports were insufficient, according to Israel’s N12 News.
Israeli authorities were concerned with possible missile attacks or attacks at an airport, the outlet reported on Thursday. A scenario like Wednesday’s hijacking attempt was “not raised in any discussion”, they said.
In full:
Israel’s Shin Bet ‘had security concerns about UAE airports weeks before hijacking’
Top story: Israeli passenger says he knew what to do on flydubai plane after watching TV show
02:00 , James ReynoldsA passenger who helped save a flight carrying more than 170 people to Tel Aviv from crashing says he knew how to stabilise a nose-diving aircraft after watching an aircrash TV show.
Yaniv Hayun, 50, is being hailed in Israel as a hero after he and three other Israeli passengers managed to subdue the co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073, who had stabbed its captain, before pulling up the jet's steering control to right it.
He told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met him at the airport, that the stabbed pilot probably managed to open the cockpit door before collapsing.
"One (pilot) was down and one was on the controls, and another person came in with me, I grabbed the assailant and put him in a chokehold, and pulled him out," he told Netanyahu, in a video of their meeting distributed by Netanyahu's office.
He and a few other people subdued the co-pilot and then he returned to pull up the unmanned steering control of the plane, Hayun said, his shirt still blood-stained from the fight.
Asked how he knew what to do in the moments before another pilot aboard, whom other passengers identified as a British man called James, took control, Hayun said: "I watch Air Crash Investigation, Mr Prime Minister."
Four Americans were aboard Israel-bound plane: reports
01:00 , James ReynoldsFour Americans were aboard the Israel-bound plane that a pilot allegedly attempted to hijack Wednesday, according to reports.
The four passengers on the Flydubai flight were US-Israeli dual citizens, US officials told CNN and NewsNation.
Watch: Passengers film moments after suspected hijacking on Israel-bound flight
Friday 2 October 2026 00:00 , James ReynoldsCatch up: Pilot ‘used axe’ to attack co-pilot before passengers using toilet raised alarm
Thursday 1 October 2026 23:00 , James ReynoldsThe co-pilot who allegedly tried to hijack a flight to Israel on Wednesday attacked his fellow pilot with an axe, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed as questions loomed over the motives and background of the assailant.
“As [the plane] approached Israel, one of the co-pilots stabbed or hit with an axe the other pilot, an Indian pilot,” the Israeli premier told CBS News on Wednesday, hours after the attack.
“The pilot that was hit, bleeding profusely, fighting for his life, managed to unlock the pilot's door,” he said, hailing captain Smit Machchhar, who was seriously injured in the attack, as a hero.
It remains unclear how the pilot gained access to a weapon and some analysts have suggested it may have been the emergency axe kept in the cockpit in case of emergency.
Recap: Co-pilot of flydubai plane underwent radical Islamist indoctrination, claims Netanyahu
Thursday 1 October 2026 22:00 , James ReynoldsThe co-pilot of a passenger jet who stabbed the captain in an apparent attempt to crash the plane as it flew to Israel had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination and was clearly suicidal, Israel's prime minister said Thursday.
Disaster was averted on Wednesday's flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv after the wounded captain managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers to subdue the attacker.
A reserve crew that had been aboard landed the plane, which had more than 170 people on board, at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia.
"We know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination. That appears to be something we are gathering from his personal information," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News.
Two Israeli security officials said Israel's initial assessment was that the co-pilot, identified by Israel as an Omani national, was likely acting alone, though the investigation was still ongoing.
Saudi probe indicates flydubai co-pilot assaulted captain, interior ministry says
Thursday 1 October 2026 21:42 , Maryam Zakir-HussainSaudi Arabia's interior ministry, which is investigating the FlyDubai incident, has released a statement saying preliminary investigations show the planes co-pilot assaulted the captain.
The statement which the ministry says "comes from an official source" says the incident "resulted in various injuries to both".
It says both men were both treated in hospital for injuries and left for Abu Dhabi this morning after receiving medical clearance.
The statement adds: "The Kingdom handles emergency situations in accordance with its international and humanitarian obligations, as well as the regulations and directives adopted by the relevant authorities."
