One pilot stabbed another and attempted to crash a flight from the United Arab Emirates to Israel, according to Israel's prime minister.
uncertain
pilot → stab → minister
Passengers, many of them Israelis, feared for their lives as the flydubai aircraft lost half its altitude in about a minute.
asserted
aircraft → fear → minute
As Israel scrambled fighter jets out of concern for a possible hijacking, a passenger and crew member entered the cockpit to subdue the attacker and other crew members gained control of the aircraft, which landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
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which → scramble → Arabia
It was not clear what motivated the attack.
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what → motivate → attack
The terrifying flight occurred just days before the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that launched the war in Gaza.
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that → occur → Gaza
The airline said in a statement that the underlying reasons for the event remained unknown and warned against "premature speculation."
Flydubai also said it was suspending flights to and from Israel while an investigation continues.
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investigation → say → Israel
Here's what we know about what happened on flydubai flight FZ1073:
A fight, an alert and a rapid descent
The distress call came at 8:44am on Wednesday, local time, about two and a half hours after the flight with about 170 passengers left Dubai and headed to Tel Aviv.
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flight → know → Aviv
The captain and first officer had been fighting in the cockpit after one tried to stab the other and crash the aircraft, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
uncertain
one → fight → Netanyahu
The aircraft swiftly lost altitude, dropping from around 10,000 metres to 5,100 metres in the span of about a minute.
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aircraft → lose → minute
It then circled close to the Jordanian border before landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, about an hour later.
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It → circle → Tabuk
Both pilots suffered injuries that required hospital treatment, according to a statement from Tabuk's Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport.
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that → suffer → Airport
Mr Netanyahu said Saudi Arabia had arrested one of the pilots.
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Arabia → say → pilots
A plane carrying passengers from the flight landed on Wednesday evening in Israel.
Passengers and crew wrest control
A passenger and a crew member managed to enter the cockpit, enabling other crew members to fly the plane to a safe landing, according to Mr Netanyahu, who cited a passenger he had spoken to.
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he → carry → passenger
The cockpit door on all aircraft is locked during flight for security reasons — a measure that became the industry standard after the September 11, 2001 attacks, in which hijackers broke into the cockpits of four domestic flights in the United States.
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hijackers → lock → States
Mr Netanyahu said on X that the pilot who had been stabbed opened the cockpit door, which "enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster."
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which → say → disaster
The wounded captain was identified by the Israeli leader's office as Smit Machchhar, an Indian national.
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captain → wound → Machchhar
The Israeli prime minister described him as a "true hero" and wished him a speedy recovery.
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minister → describe → recovery
Mr Netanyahu's office later released a video showing the prime minister at Ben Gurion Airport giving a hug to another passenger, Yaniv Hayoun, who his office said "broke into" the cockpit.
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office → release → cockpit
"I see you and I see a lion — a big hero," Mr Netanyahu told the man, who was still wearing the blood-stained shirt he had on during the flight.
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he → see → flight
What security checks do pilots undergo?
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pilots → undergo → checks
One question surrounding this incident is how anyone on the aircraft — especially a pilot — was able to get a knife onboard.
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anyone → surround → knife
It's unclear how big the knife was that was used in the attack.
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that → use → attack
Pilots undergo rigorous screening, including passing through metal detectors, at checkpoints at all airports.
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Pilots → undergo → airports
It's also standard for airlines to vet their pilots' background for criminal and employment history, their physical and mental health, as well as having them undergo intelligence and security screening.
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them → vet → screening
Israel has some of the most stringent airline security measures worldwide.
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Israel → have → measures
Passengers on Israel-bound flights regularly are taken aside for questioning and baggage searches after passing through normal airport security.
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Passengers → bind → security
There have been extremely rare occasions when airline security protocols fail.
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protocols → fail → ?
In 2015, the co-pilot of Germanwings Flight 9525 locked the captain out of the cockpit and deliberately set the plane on a collision course with a mountainside, killing all 150 people aboard.
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pilot → lock → people
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