Bloodied passenger on FlyDubai flight says: 'We’ve just taken control of the terrorists'

Bloodied passenger on FlyDubai flight says: 'We’ve just taken control of the terrorists' An off-duty British pilot is said to have raced into the cockpit and pulled the Boeing 737 Max out of a nosedive after "attempted jihadist attack" on the Israel-bound flight A wounded passenger on a plane subject to an alleged attempted jihadist terror attack begged for help — and said "we’ve just taken control of the terrorists". The remark was said as a relief pilot helped to land the Israel-bound jet after one pilot stabbed the other in the cockpit and allegedly tried to crash the plane. The hero, identified as a British national by fellow passengers, raced to the front of the FlyDubai Boeing 737 Max as the attacker was pinned to the ground. He is said to have pulled the plane out of a nose-dive and stabilised it before landing it at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. Passengers said the fight broke out at the front of the plane just 90 minutes into the 1,300-mile flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Distressing mid-air footage sent by people on board – some soaked in blood – showed them restraining the attacker and pleading for help. Graphic video also showed one of the pilots also drenched in blood. Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz described yesterday’s incident as an attempted jihadist terror attack. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the pilot who carried out the stabbing had been arrested. The victim, Smit Machchhar, was last night stable in hospital. A video shared by Israeli media shows a bloodied passenger, Assaf Regavim, saying: “We’re here – the plane – we’ve just taken control of the terrorists. “We’re about to land. Anyone who hears me: we need help. We’re landing in Tabuk. All onboard the flight are healthy and in one piece – aside from the pilot. We need help.” Another passenger, Almog Itali, described the two pilots at the back of the plane as “relief pilots” who were due to operate a subsequent flight, adding one of them was British, while the other was European. He said the exact details of what happened in the cockpit are unclear. Mr Itali, who said he had spoken to people from the front of the plane, added: “There are quite a few versions. What is clear is that there were two pilots in the front – one stabbed the other.” The attack took place at 34,000ft. Officials said the plane nosedived 17,400ft in just two minutes before an “Israeli 9/11” was averted. Fighter jets were scrambled to escort the aircraft during its emergency landing. The plane touched down at 8.44am local time. Travellers were recorded clapping and cheering. Tensions are running high in the Middle East, with the ongoing conflict in Iran and Israel’s relentless shelling of Gaza. Mr Netanyahu warned in recent days of unspecified, escalated security threats ahead of Israel’s October 27 election, sparking accusations of fear-mongering. He said yesterday: “During the flight, as they were approaching Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and, apparently, tried to crash the plane with its passengers on board.” He said of those on board who intervened: “I salute these heroes, who displayed extraordinary resourcefulness and courage. They saved many lives and prevented a major disaster.” A spokesman said he had ordered security to be ramped up on Israeli and non-Israeli carriers. Mr Katz said the attack was “thwarted only thanks to the bravery of several Israeli passengers who broke into the cockpit, overpowered the terrorist and, with their own hands, restored control of the plane to another flight crew”. He added: “According to the initial information in our possession, the terrorist had one intention: to crash the plane.” Another Israeli official reportedly claimed: “One pilot stabbed the other and tried to do 9/11 – either hijack the plane to the ground or crash it. The plane started to dive, and a team of pilots who were present took control of the stabber and the plane – a dramatic disaster was averted.” Israel Ohayon, whose sister Miriam was on board the Flydubai flight, said she reported “pressure and panic” with passengers feeling that they were “staring death in the face”. He said she was sitting directly behind the pilots and had a good view as “a few Israelis took initiative” and subdued the attacker. He said: “Mentally, she’s not in a good state. We lost our brother on October 7, 2023, so this brings us back a little to that time.” Another passenger who stormed the cockpit told Israeli media: “We jumped on the pilot with force and tied him up with headphones.” Photographs from the flight show one passenger standing up in the aisle with his white T-shirt covered in blood. Another recorded a video with blood on his face, saying: “We’re here during the hijacking of an airplane. At this point we’ve subdued the terrorists, we’re approaching landing. “Whoever is hearing me, we need help. We’re landing in Tabuk, apparently in Saudi Arabia. An unknown, unfamiliar area. On the plane, everybody is safe and sound, other than the pilot. We need help.” Another passenger said: “We were either going to crash or be murdered. It was like a terrorist attack in mid-air.” Yitzhak Lieber was one of the passengers who helped overpower the attacker. He sent a video to his children from the plane, saying: “There is a pilot who was seriously injured, they’ve evacuated him. We overpowered the terrorist and he is tied up.” The video was later posted on social media. He said: “It was a very difficult incident. We will probably come home in a few hours. I need to change my clothes. Everything is full of blood, we caught him... we caught the terrorist.” Flight data shows the plane dropped 17,400ft in just under two minutes, climbed 5,000ft and then fell another 7,000ft. An emergency “squawk code” was issued from the plane with 180 passengers on board, tracking data shows. The international emergency alert was followed by a 7500 code, meaning a hijacking or unlawful interference, as it entered Jordanian air space. A spokesman for UAE based airliner Flydubai said: “An altercation occurred in the flight deck of flight FZ 1073, operating from Dubai International to Ben Gurion International Airport on September 30. The aircraft was successfully secured by on-duty Flydubai crew travelling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely at Tabuk Airport. All passengers and crew are safe and accounted for. We have deployed two replacement aircraft to Tabuk to relieve the passengers and crew. “The underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation. We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation. “Our immediate priority is to ensure the ongoing safety, health, and wellbeing of all passengers and crew members involved.”