Photo via Times of India

'9/11-style scare': How Israel nearly 'shot down' flydubai jet with 170 aboard

Read the original at Times of India ↗
Cite

Jha, A. (2026, October 6). '9/11-style scare': How Israel nearly 'shot down' flydubai jet with 170 aboard. Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/9/11-style-scare-how-israel-nearly-shot-down-flydubai-jet-with-170-aboard/articleshow/134721199.cms

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Times of India · collected 2026-10-06 · by Aastha Jha

Quick Summary

On September 30, Israel almost shot down a flydubai passenger jet carrying over 150 Israelis after its captain was attacked and the plane plunged about 14,000 feet. According to CBS News reporting based on Israeli sources, Israel activated a protocol for potential hijackings and prepared fighter jets for interception. The aircraft turned toward Saudi Arabia instead of continuing towards Israel, prompting Israel to recall its jets. The attacker is reportedly an Omani national who planned the assault before joining Flydubai with intentions to crash the plane at Ben Gurion Airport.
Written by AI on 2026-10-06, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On September 30, 2026, a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv signaled an emergency and was diverted to land at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia. The incident initially raised concerns about a possible hijacking, prompting Israel to scramble warplanes. However, Israeli officials later reported that the emergency signals were due to a physical altercation between the plane's two pilots rather than a hijacking attempt.

The flight, identified as Flydubai Flight FZ1073, transmitted multiple emergency alerts after takeoff and over Jordanian airspace before landing safely in Saudi Arabia. Passengers on board managed to overpower the attacker, who was later identified by UAE officials as Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami. Al-Hammami allegedly attempted to crash the plane into Tel Aviv's airport but was stopped by passengers.

UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi stated that signs of al-Hammami’s radicalization first emerged in 2017 while he was studying engineering at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. He reportedly became influenced by extremist literature and online content glorifying terrorist organizations during this period.

Written for “Flydubai Hijacker's Radicalization Path” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 345 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Flydubai Hijacker's Radicalization Path
Crime & Law · 346 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 33% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
How the flydubai flight plunged thousands of metres in minutes Same event
ABC News (AU)
Hedges 5 of 34 claims Outlet record 68/100
In-flight attack on FlyDubai pilot puts aviation security measures under fresh scrutiny Same event
Toronto Star
Hedges 8 of 44 claims Outlet record 64/100
Flydubai incident | Complete coverage Same event
The Hindu
Hedges 4 of 7 claims Outlet record 60/100
They called the attempted mass murder of Jews a ‘cockpit dispute.’ This is how terrorism gets normalized Same event
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 4 of 54 claims Outlet record 70/100
FACT FOCUS: What's known about the FlyDubai attack probe and the red flags about the suspect Same event
Toronto Star
Hedges 10 of 37 claims Outlet record 64/100
Israel scrambled jets, was prepared to shoot down FlyDubai flight after pilot attack, sources say Same event
CBS News
Hedges 1 of 3 claims Outlet record 66/100
Israel prepared for fighter jets to shoot down FlyDubai flight if necessary, Israeli sources say Same event
CBS News
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 1 of 3 claims Outlet record 66/100
Alan Kessel: Anand couldn’t bring herself to say ‘Israel’ or ‘terror’ in statement about Flydubai attack Same event
National Post
⚖️ Leans strongly right Hedges 2 of 53 claims Outlet record 60/100
Netanyahu says too early to tell who was behind plane incident as flydubai halts all flights to Israel Same event
The Guardian
Hedges 1 of 25 claims Outlet record 66/100
Flydubai incident: altercation, emergency landing and investigation | Explained Same event
The Hindu
Hedges 4 of 69 claims Outlet record 60/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
15
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
33%
5 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
59/100
Times of India's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
346
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-06 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Times of India · 3798 article(s) · 2 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 2 correction(s)
2026-10-05
NASA spacecraft gains 3.5 km/s speed from Earth’s gravity assist without major engine burn
2026-10-04
Tennessee prison chief Frank Strada resigns after Christa Pike's botched execution

Who wrote this

Aastha Jha
21 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Interior minister Mazen Al-Faraya attributed the attack to extremist ideology, warning that similar incidents could recur if such thinking was not addressed.
2026-10-27 · assertive framing · 7 civilians killed in Jordan strike on Syrian militants in retaliation to church attack
🔮 On Sunday, he ruled out an immediate US strike on Iran, telling reporters there would be no attack that day.
2026-10-26 · assertive framing · 'Gotta stop killing them to know who we're dealing with': Trump says top Iranian leaders gone
🔮 He has criticised settler violence against Palestinians and opposed some of the Netanyahu government's settlement plans, including construction in the E1 area, which critics say would further divide the West Bank.
2026-10-25 · assertive framing · Who is Gadi Eisenkot? Ex-army chief of Israel is Netanyahu's biggest challenger in PM race
🔮 The officials gave few details about how or where Iran might carry out such attacks.
2026-10-24 · speculative framing · After oil, internet? Iran plans to target Gulf's undersea cables
🔮 The incident follows another fatal crash involving the same aircraft type in May, when two pilots were killed after an SF-260 went down in a mountainous area in the northern Philippines.
2026-10-24 · assertive framing · Watch: Two Philippine air force trainer aircraft collide mid-air; 4 pilots killed
🔮 The visit would mark his first trip to China in more than a year.
2026-10-24 · mixed framing · North Korea's Kim Jong-un makes surprise visit to China via newly opened bridge: Report
🔮 The latest release is part of a series of documents made public by the Pentagon since May, following US President Donald Trump's pledge to disclose previously classified information about UFO sightings and the government's knowledge of potential extraterrestrial life.
2026-10-24 · assertive framing · UFO files: 'Black triangles' moving at extraordinary speed spotted over sensitive US site
🔮 Cox’s Bazar deputy commissioner A Mannan said six bodies had been recovered so far and DNA samples would be collected before the bodies were handed over to their families.
2026-10-17 · assertive framing · 10 charred to death in fire at seaside resort in Bangladesh
🔮 US officials are concerned that continued attacks could discourage shipping companies from using the strait, reducing oil supplies and pushing up global prices.
2026-10-17 · assertive framing · Iran broke? $25bn oil loss, $350m crypto frozen as militias send money back to IRGC
🔮 A White House official said Trump had made clear that the US would not attack Iran before the American midterm elections.
2026-10-16 · mixed framing · 'Don’t trust anybody': Trump's response to Netanyahu question ahead of Israel polls
Also by Aastha Jha
7 civilians killed in Jordan strike on Syrian militants in retaliation to church attack
2026-10-27 · Times of India
'Gotta stop killing them to know who we're dealing with': Trump says top Iranian leaders gone
2026-10-26 · The Times of India
Who is Gadi Eisenkot? Ex-army chief of Israel is Netanyahu's biggest challenger in PM race
2026-10-25 · Times of India
After oil, internet? Iran plans to target Gulf's undersea cables
2026-10-24 · Times of India
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 21 articles by Aastha Jha →

Topics

CBS Israel Israeli Saudi Arabia flydubai

Subjects

Israeli NORP · 9× Israel GPE · 7× CBS ORG · 3× Saudi Arabia GPE · 3× CBS News ORG · 1× Hamam al Hamami PERSON · 1× Israelis NORP · 1× Jordanian NORP · 1× Omani NORP · 1× UAE GPE · 1×

Narrative

Israel was prepared to shoot down flydubai passenger jet carrying more than 150 Israelis after its captain was attacked in the cockpit and the aircraft plunged thousands of feet, CBS News reported, citing two Israeli sources with direct knowledge of the situation.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-06
🔮 CBS reported that had the flydubai flight continued towards Israel, Israeli fighter jets could have entered Jordanian airspace to intercept and visually assess the aircraft.
2026-10-06 · Times of India
'9/11-style scare': How Israel nearly 'shot down' flydubai jet with 170 aboard · mixed framing

Claims (15 extracted, 5 hedged)

Israel was prepared to shoot down flydubai passenger jet carrying more than 150 Israelis after its captain was attacked in the cockpit and the aircraft plunged thousands of feet, CBS News reported, citing two Israeli sources with direct knowledge of the situation. asserted
News → prepare → situation
According to the sources cited by CBS, Israel activated a long-established protocol for a potential 9/11-style incident after the aircraft plunged about 14,000 feet. uncertain
aircraft → accord → feet
The Israeli air force attempted to contact the cockpit but received no response. asserted
force → attempt → response
A pre-established committee was convened, a command centre was set up, fighter jets were scrambled and Israeli airspace was closed. asserted
airspace → convene → ?
The jets were recalled after Israeli authorities saw the aircraft turning towards Saudi Arabia, around 400 miles from Israel. asserted
aircraft → recall → Israel
Saudi Arabia also scrambled fighter aircraft in response. asserted
Arabia → scramble → response
CBS reported that had the flydubai flight continued towards Israel, Israeli fighter jets could have entered Jordanian airspace to intercept and visually assess the aircraft. uncertain
jets → report → aircraft
Pilots would have attempted to establish contact with the cockpit and inspect the cabin for signs of panic or a hijacking. asserted
Pilots → attempt → panic
Under the Israeli protocol, if a passenger aircraft was determined to be hijacked, remained unresponsive by radio and continued towards Israel without making demands, the matter would be escalated to the defence minister and prime minister. asserted
matter → determine → minister
The protocol allows for the aircraft to be "shot down", with the final decision resting with the prime minister, according to the sources. uncertain
decision → allow → sources
Israeli officials told CBS that the suspected attacker, identified by sources as Omani national Hamam al Hamami, allegedly told UAE investigators that he had planned the attack before joining Flydubai and intended to crash the plane at Ben Gurion Airport. uncertain
he → tell → Airport
An Israeli official also said he had previously travelled to Israel. asserted
he → say → Israel
An early Israeli assessment indicated that the attempted hijacking was likely a lone-wolf attack, though the investigation remains ongoing and other possibilities are still being examined. asserted
possibilities → indicate → ?
The Dubai-Tel Aviv flight was approaching Israel on September 30 when the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and attempted to crash the aircraft. uncertain
pilot → approach → aircraft
The plane later diverted towards Saudi Arabia, where it made an emergency landing in Tabuk after passengers, crew members and two off-duty pilots helped overpower the attacker and regain control. asserted
passengers → divert → control
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support
Terms · Privacy · beta v2.0.0
Articles to 31 Oct 2026