An Israeli official said a “major disaster was narrowly avoided” after a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to Saudi Arabia Wednesday amid what Israeli officials described as an attempted hijacking by one of the pilots. The aircraft, flight FZ1073, landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, reports The Jerusalem Post. The unnamed Israeli official said that investigators believe one pilot tried to hijack the aircraft, though it remained unclear whether he intended to crash it, fly it to Israel or carry out an attack similar to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States.
Israel’s security establishment, including the IDF, Mossad and Shin Bet, increasingly believes the incident was an attempted terrorist attack, The Jerusalem Post reported. Unconfirmed reports said the copilot, reportedly an Omani national who had worked for the airline for about a year, stabbed the captain and tried to crash the plane before passengers subdued him. Israeli sources told the Post that initial investigations suggested the suspected attacker was Omani, but his identity had not been confirmed.
