Flydubai flight's 'hijack' scare puts Israel on edge before safe landing in Saudi Arabia
Israel feared the worst when a Tel Aviv-bound Flydubai jet squawked a hijack alert and dropped off the radar. The plane later landed safely in Saudi Arabia. Israeli authorities are now treating the incident as an attempted terror attack.
Israel reportedly scrambled fighter jets on Wednesday after a flydubai passenger jet bound for Tel Aviv sent out an emergency signal mid-flight.
Flight FZ1073 left Dubai at 7:05am, according to news reports. About 90 minutes in, as it entered Jordanian airspace, the crew signalled an emergency. Israeli media reported the aircraft also briefly sent a hijack alert before switching back to a general emergency.
The jet then turned around, dropped sharply in altitude and headed back into Saudi Arabia, toward the city of Tabuk.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz held urgent security talks. An Israeli security official said there was no definitive information about a hijacking, but that losing contact with the pilot was concerning.
Police Commissioner Danny Levy said: "We are preparing for every scenario."
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Later, Israeli reports said the plane had landed safely in Saudi Arabia. Ariel Oseran wrote that the assessment in Israel was that the emergency signal was triggered during a violent altercation between the pilots in the cockpit, not a hijacking.
However, after the flight landed, passenger accounts and reporting indicated there may have been a serious attempt to bring the plane down or take control of it, with reports of pilots and passengers injured in the process. Photos of bloodied passengers and videos from inside the cabin showing the plane flying erratically have been circulating online.
Online flight data monitoring also shows a sudden, violent dip in altitude before the flight briefly disappeared from radar.
A passenger told one Israeli news network: “We were either going to crash or be murdered. It was like a terrorist attack in mid-air.”
Israeli authorities are now treating the incident as an attempted terror attack.
More than 150 passengers were aboard, according to Israeli news reports.
FlyDubai has put out the following official satement:
Flydubai can confirm that flight FZ 1073 operating from Dubai International (DXB) to Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) on 30 September experienced an incident while en route. The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk Airport (TUU) and all passengers are safe and accounted for. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority.
Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities. Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available.
Saudi and Israeli authorities are yet to issue an official statement about what happened onboard.
The story is developing.
Rukshan Fernando
Rebel News Australia Content Manager and Commentator
Rukshan Fernando is an Australian political commentator, filmmaker, and journalist. He is known for his on-the-ground coverage and livestreams of protests and social issues, with a strong focus on stories often overlooked by the mainstream media. As a Content Manager and Reporter with Rebel News Australia, Rukshan works alongside Australia Bureau Chief Avi Yemini to bring the other side of the story from down under.
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