Mid-air stabbing, cockpit scrum and 'miracle' landing: Inside the flydubai flight

TABUK, SAUDI ARABIA, 1 OCTOBER 2026 —

A flydubai Boeing 737 bound for Tel Aviv was forced to divert to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after a co‑pilot stabbed his fellow pilot and attempted to crash the aircraft, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said was “a jihadist terror attempt”.

Israeli officials said the attacker, later identified as Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, had been stabbed and was on the opposite side of the cockpit door when the struggle began. The injured pilot managed to press the release that unlocked the door, allowing passengers to enter. “The door apparently wasn’t locked and we managed to open it somehow,” said passenger Yaniv Hayoun to Channel 12, describing how he and others forced their way inside.

Hayoun said he saw the unharmed pilot “apparently trying to destroy the controls” and, after the door opened, he “grabbed the controls and pulled them the way he had seen on television”. The passengers’ intervention was later corroborated by other eyewitnesses. Tzvika Manes told Channel 12 that it took “many minutes to subdue the attacking pilot”.

Dentist Shota Musayev said the passengers realised they had only seconds to take control before a “critical event” and that they spread a few more people inside the cabin “so that if something happened we would be able to simply take control”. Musayev also attended to the injured pilot, noting that he “was praying the whole time … and I was afraid we would really lose him”.

Flydubai said the aircraft was secured by on‑duty crew who diverted and landed the aircraft safely. Two off‑duty flydubai pilots, who were on the flight, took over the controls after the passengers’ intervention and guided the jet to Tabuk, where Saudi authorities provided medical staff, food and other assistance.

“We landed in Saudi Arabia, which we got a very very warm welcome with a lot of medical staff and food and anything we needed, and we’re waiting for the flight back to Tel Aviv,” said passenger Almog Italie.

Among the interveners were members of Israeli security forces and sky marshals, according to a source familiar with a probe by Saudi Arabia and regional partners. Asaf Rajuan, who emerged with a bloodied forehead, told The New York Times that the instinct to act was “just running to save your daughter’s life, your family’s life”. He added that there was “a fear about where they would land”.

The sudden plunge was described by several passengers as a terrifying, near‑fatal experience. Almog Italie said the aircraft felt like it was “passing through massive turbulence” before the “life‑or‑death struggle” in the cockpit, noting that the plane “was dropping like for 20, 30 seconds, and then balanced, and then started dropping again, and balanced again”. He added that the reserve crew soon “took over the airplane and balanced it”.

“It was quite scary, but not for long,” he said.

Other passengers recounted the fear that the plane was “pretty much out of control”. Miryam Shira Ohayon said 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”. Chaim Nazarovitz called the ordeal “very terrifying”, adding that for a moment he felt “not among the living”.

Naama Bershadski recalled thinking “We’re going to die” as she closed her eyes and prayed. Lital Shachaf, speaking after the aircraft returned to Israel, said “I just can say that it was a miracle”.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Hayoun at Ben Gurion Airport after the landing. In a video released by the prime minister’s office, Netanyahu hugged the passenger, saying “I see you and I see a lion — a big hero”. When asked whether Hayoun knew what he was doing, he replied, “I watch Air Crash Investigation, Mr Prime Minister”. The footage showed Hayoun still wearing the blood‑stained shirt he had worn during the flight.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz labelled the episode a “jihadist terror attempt”, underscoring the security implications of the incident. Saudi authorities, cooperating with regional partners, opened a probe into the attack, with officials confirming that the investigation would examine the motives and any possible accomplices.

The flight’s diversion added a logistical strain to the already busy air corridor between the Gulf and Israel. Flydubai, a sister airline of Emirates, confirmed that the aircraft would be returned to service after a thorough safety inspection, and that passengers would be accommodated on subsequent flights to Tel Aviv.

No further injuries were reported among the passengers or crew, and the airline expressed gratitude for the “courageous actions of the passengers and crew who helped avert a disaster”.

The incident has reignited debate across the region about cockpit security and the role of passengers in emergency situations. While the immediate focus remains on the ongoing investigation, the swift actions of the passengers and off‑duty pilots have been hailed as a decisive factor that prevented a potential catastrophe.

Related: flydubai · Tabuk, Saudi Arabia