Pilot stabbed co-pilot on Israel-bound plane

One of the pilots of a plane flying from the United Arab Emirates to Israel stabbed his co-pilot and appeared to try to crash the aircraft, according to the Israeli prime minister Netanyahu.

Eyewitnesses reported chaos onboard the flydubai flight, as the attacker tried to barricade himself and the wounded co-pilot in the cockpit, and then attempted to disable the controls, forcing the plane to descend 17,000 feet in just two minutes. A passenger later recounted how he and other passengers heard screaming and felt pressure as the plane dived before forcing their way into the cockpit and finding the attacker at the instrument panel. As others wrestled with the attacker, the passenger grabbed the controls and pulled them the way he had seen on television, before other crew members took over.

The stabbed pilot was identified as Indian national Captain Smit Machchhar, who was said to have made the emergency call and opened the door to the cockpit, allowing others to rush in and subdue the attacker. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, with the two pilots wounded but other passengers safe.

Israeli officials said they are investigating whether the incident was an attempted terror attack on Israelis. US President Trump said he spoke to Netanyahu on Wednesday, but suggested that the motive behind the incident remained unclear.