A stabbed pilot opened the cockpit door of a flydubai jet after his co-pilot allegedly tried to crash it with 174 people on board

A flydubai pilot who was stabbed in the cockpit opened the flight deck door, and passengers and crew then overpowered the attacker, according to The Guardian. Flight FZ1073 was bound for Tel Aviv from Dubai with 174 passengers when the plane landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The injured pilot, Smit Machchhar, was later moved to Abu Dhabi for further care.

Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads Israel’s government, said the co-pilot stabbed Machchhar and apparently attempted to crash the plane with everyone on board. Netanyahu said the Indian captain “fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker.” He called Machchhar “a true hero.”

The Boeing 737 Max 8 dropped by more than 14,000 feet before the diversion, according to reports. Machchhar underwent surgery in Tabuk, Gulf News reported. India’s embassy said he was “in good health and recovering well.” Flydubai sent a replacement aircraft to Tabuk to take passengers on to Tel Aviv.

Motive behind the attack remains unknown

Saudi authorities arrested the co-pilot after the landing, and he has not been publicly identified. Israel says he is an Omani national. Flydubai said “an altercation occurred in the flight deck,” and that “the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation.”

Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry said the co-pilot left for Abu Dhabi on Thursday with an Emirati security team after being medically cleared, CNN reported. The ministry said preliminary investigations found an assault on the captain by the co-pilot, resulting in “various injuries to both.” The UAE said it is investigating whether the violence was linked to “terrorist activity.”

Netanyahu said the alleged attacker “underwent Islamist radical indoctrination.” Authorities have not disclosed a motive or the weapon used. The airline has suspended flights to and from Israel while it investigates. The UAE’s aviation regulator called it “a security incident that was brought under control.” A spokesperson for Netanyahu said Israel would run security checks on every pilot flying into the country.

President Donald Trump told reporters he spoke with Netanyahu “at length” about the incident. He said the co-pilot was “perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job.” Trump called it “the most amazing story,” and added, “I don’t know if it’s true, but that’s the story that I got.” Steve Arroyo, who previously flew for United Airlines, said of the dive, “That was a serious descent and strong aerodynamic forces on that rudder for that to happen.” He said he was amazed the aircraft did not come apart.

Jeff Guzzetti, a former crash investigator, said, “It is remarkable they were able to pull out of that dive. What saved them is there was enough altitude left for them to recover.” He said the chances of recovery would have been slim had the plane dropped below 10,000 feet.