Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the serious incident aboard a flight from Dubai to Israel on Wednesday afternoon, saying that the pilot who stabbed the other pilot apparently attempted to crash the aircraft with everyone on board.
"Citizens of Israel, this morning there was an extremely serious security incident on a flight from Dubai to Israel. Almost all of the passengers on the flight were Israelis. During the flight, as they approached Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot, and apparently he tried to crash the plane with everyone on board," Netanyahu said.
The Prime Minister said he spoke with one of the Israeli passengers aboard the aircraft and heard from him about the dramatic moments during the incident.
According to Netanyahu, the passenger told him that the aircraft went into a spin and began to dive. The passenger managed to break into the cockpit together with a crew member, and the two neutralized the pilot who carried out the stabbing as he was attempting, according to the Prime Minister, to sabotage the aircraft's systems.
Another flight crew that was aboard the plane then entered the cockpit and managed to stabilize the aircraft.
"I salute these heroes, who displayed extraordinary resourcefulness and courage," Netanyahu said. "They saved many lives and prevented a major disaster."
The Prime Minister said the aircraft landed safely at an airport in Saudi Arabia and that all of the passengers were out of danger.
He added that the pilot who carried out the stabbing had been arrested and was currently being questioned by Saudi authorities. According to Netanyahu, Israel is in continuous contact with the relevant authorities in an effort to ensure the passengers' safety and their return to Israel.
Concluding his remarks, Netanyahu also addressed the possibility of additional threats, saying he had instructed the security establishment to prepare for other potential threats.
"We are conducting ongoing situation assessments, and we will update you in accordance with developments," he said.
Defense Minister Israel Katz also confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that the incident aboard the Flydubai flight was an attempted terrorist attack.
“The serious incident on the Flydubai aircraft was an attempted jihadist terrorist attack that 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 aircraft to an additional flight crew that was present there. According to the preliminary information in our possession, the terrorist had one intention: to crash the plane with all its passengers.
“When the Prime Minister and I issue security warnings and alerts based on intelligence, everyone - both our enemies abroad and uninformed former officials at home - would do well to listen and take them seriously. Every warning has several addresses and objectives. Most importantly, the warnings never come at the expense of the proactive and offensive operations that we are leading together with the IDF against every threat, nor are they a substitute for them," Katz said.