What we know so far about the midair FlyDubai attack
4 hours ago
The motivations of a FlyDubai pilot, and what weapon was used, are among the foremost questions surrounding how a flight bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates avoided disaster Wednesday after a cockpit incident.
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A FlyDubai aircraft carrying Israelis who experienced an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia is shown arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday night. (Ariel Schalit/The Associated Press)
A co-pilot stabbed his captain in an apparent attempt to crash a flight bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday that was carrying 174 people. The passengers, most of them Israelis, feared for their lives as the FlyDubai aircraft lost half its altitude in about a minute.
The wounded pilot managed to open the cockpit door, and a passenger and a crew member rushed in to subdue the attacker, according to Israeli officials and plane passengers. Other crew members gained control of the aircraft, which landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
The distress call came at 8:44 a.m. local time, about 2½ hours after Flight FZ1073 left Dubai, a hub of international business and tourism, heading to Tel Aviv in Israel.
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