Mossad Leads Probe After Alleged Cockpit Attack on Dubai-to-Tel Aviv Flight

The Mossad is leading the investigation into the unusual incident on a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, while the Shin Bet is assisting in examining the circumstances of the incident. Israel has decided that the plane's passengers will be questioned upon their arrival in the country. At the same time, efforts are underway to secure all the necessary approvals to send an Israeli Air Force aircraft to Saudi Arabia, where the plane landed. The move requires special coordination because Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic relations.

A senior Israeli official said that the co-pilot stabbed the captain and attempted to crash the plane with its passengers aboard. Footage posted by one of the passengers from inside the aircraft illustrated the drama that unfolded in the air. In the video, the passenger is seen with his face covered in blood: "We are in the middle of a plane hijacking." He later called out: "At the moment, we have taken control of the terrorists; we are about to land. Everyone who can hear me, we need help."

The passenger added that the plane was about to land in Tabuk, "apparently somewhere in Saudi Arabia, an unfamiliar and unknown place," and stressed: "Everyone on the plane is safe and sound except for the pilot; we need help."

Meanwhile, an initial report that another flight en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv had turned around midway and returned to Dubai was apparently found to have been a glitch in the tracking app.

The Israel Airports Authority clarified that Israeli airspace remains fully open. However, inspection and security procedures at Ben-Gurion Airport have been tightened for all flydubai flights landing in Israel. The footage from the plane reinforces the assessment being examined in Israel that this may have been a deliberate terror incident, which was prevented after passengers and crew members managed to take control of the situation.