Suspected terrorist attack in the Middle East: What we know - and what we don't - about the Flydubai emergency landing

A Flydubai airline plane suddenly had to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on its way to Israel. An overview of what is known so far - and what is not:

◉ Emergency landing: Flydubai flight FZ1073 sent an emergency signal at around 8:44 a.m. local time on the way from Dubai to Tel Aviv and then landed at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia at 9:45 a.m.

◉ As the plane approached Israel, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyau, one of the pilots stabbed his colleague with a knife. He apparently intended to crash the plane with the passengers. According to the description, the passenger and a crew member managed to get into the cockpit. They then eliminated the attacker while he tried to damage the aircraft's apparatus.

◉ Another crew that was on board went into the cockpit and managed to stabilize the aircraft. The plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia and the attacker was arrested. He is being questioned by the Saudi security authorities.

◉ Around 180 Israelis on board: According to the Israeli TV channel N12, the passengers were instructed to remain seated and not to leave the plane. According to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, all passengers were Israelis.

◉ The pilots: The pilot and co-pilot were taken off board. Both had injuries and were taken to hospital.

◉ Netanyahu informs: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the head of government had held consultations on the incident and was following developments. The situation is under control and everything is being done to ensure the safe return of Israeli passengers home.

◉ Did one of the pilots want to crash the plane? This suspicion exists, but has not yet been confirmed. The Israeli news portal “ynet” reported that the plane flew steeply into the depths. One of the pilots prevented the other from crashing the plane with the help of passengers. In Israel there is increasing concern about a possible attempted terrorist attack.

◉ What happened in the cockpit? The broadcaster N12 initially reported that the pilot and co-pilot had fought in the cockpit until one of them lost consciousness. Various Israeli media reports, citing passengers on the plane, that one of the two injured the other with a knife. This has not yet been officially confirmed.

◉ Where are the pilot and co-pilot from? According to N12, the pilot is said to be of Russian descent and the co-pilot of Ukrainian descent. According to “ynet”, the suspected co-pilot actually comes from Oman, and the Russian Consulate General in Dubai told the state news agency Tass that the reports about a Russian pilot did not correspond to the facts.

◉ What happens to the pilots? One of the two is said to have suffered a stab wound. It is not clear whether the incident will have criminal consequences for her.

◉ What happens to the Israeli passengers? They are waiting for their journey home. It is unclear what role the Saudi Arabian authorities will play in this - Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic relations. It is unclear whether the Israelis will be brought to Israel by a replacement aircraft or by the Israeli Air Force. However, it seems certain that despite the absence of diplomatic relations there is no danger for Israeli citizens in Saudi Arabia. (dpa/taz)

Analyst Aimen Dean, who lives in the United Arab Emirates and grew up in Saudi Arabia, believes there is a possible connection between the Flydubai incident and recent threats from Tehran. On It is no coincidence that a plane from the United Arab Emirates with dozens of Israeli passengers on board almost crashed over Saudi Arabia.

New US sanctions against the regime in Tehran also affect Iranian airlines. These should no longer be allowed to land in third countries. According to Türkiye Today, flights operated by Iranian airlines will no longer be allowed to land in Turkey from the beginning of October. Mahan Air, which is accused of having direct connections with the Revolutionary Guards, is no longer allowed to fly to Türkiye. Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iraq and Oman have banned Iranian airline flights to their territory.

However, concrete evidence that this could be an attempted attack or that there is a connection to Tehran is not yet known. (taz)

After the emergency landing of a Flydubai plane on the way to Tel Aviv in Saudi Arabia, Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir spoke of an attempted terrorist attack. A terrorist tried to crash a plane and “murder the 180 Israelis on board,” he wrote in a post on the X platform.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich demanded in an X-Post: “Whoever tried to crash a plane and murder 180 Israelis must pay as if he had murdered them.” This applies to the attacker as well as to “every state or terrorist organization that sent him”.

However, there is no evidence of an attack like the one postulated by the two right-wing extremist Israeli ministers. (dpa/taz)