Terror Watch · Developing · Updated October 2, 2026, 2:09 PM CDT
Early reports about attacks are often incomplete and sometimes wrong. This page reports only what named outlets and officials say, in their words, and is updated as reporting changes. If you are near an incident, follow instructions from local authorities and call your local emergency number.
On Wednesday, September 30, a flydubai jet carrying 174 people to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after a violent struggle in the cockpit.[2][4]
Israeli officials call it an attempted terrorist attack. The airline calls it an “altercation.” The United Arab Emirates has opened an investigation to find out which it was.[2][3]
This page separates what is established from what is alleged and what nobody yet knows. We covered the first hours in our earlier report and the captain’s account in a second report.
What is established
Flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, left Dubai for Tel Aviv. It diverted and landed at Tabuk airport in north-western Saudi Arabia, Al Jazeera reported.[2]
The Guardian reports the plane sent three emergency signals, one of which indicated possible unlawful interference. It says the aircraft dropped sharply during the struggle and Israel scrambled fighter jets.[1]
Reports differ on how fast it fell. Al Jazeera, citing Flightradar24, says it dropped from 33,000 to 17,000 feet in about a minute. CBC says nearly 4,300 metres in under 30 seconds.[2][3]
The captain, an Indian national named by officials and the press as Smit Machchhar, was stabbed. CBC reports he fought off the attacker long enough to unlock the cockpit door. Passengers then overpowered the attacker, and a reserve crew landed the plane.[3]
CBS says two off-duty pilots who were on the flight took control. It says no passengers were seriously injured, and the captain had stab wounds. The captain is recovering, the Indian embassy in the UAE said.[4][3]
Saudi authorities arrested the co-pilot and questioned him, The Independent reported. He has not been charged, and Saudi Arabia has issued no statement, according to CBC.[5][3]
What the airline and the UAE say
Flydubai, which is owned by the UAE government, described an “altercation in the cockpit” and said the crew “diverted and landed the aircraft safely.” It suspended flights to and from Israel while it investigates.[2]
The airline said the underlying reasons were unknown and warned against “premature speculation.”[3]
The UAE’s civil aviation regulator said the flight “experienced a security incident that was brought under control.”[2]
On Thursday, the UAE prosecutor general ordered an investigation into “whether the incident was linked to any terrorist activity or purpose, or involved prior planning or direction,” the state news agency reported.[3]
What Israel alleges
Defense Minister Israel Katz called it “an attempted jihadist terror attack” and called the co-pilot a terrorist, CBS reported. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at first called it a serious security incident.[4][3]
In a statement reported by CBS News, Netanyahu said: “As time passes, the picture is becoming clearer; the attacker underwent Islamist radicalization. He came to crash the plane with its passengers.” He added: “We are investigating whether he was dispatched, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price.”[4]
He told Fox News that “personal information” gathered in questioning led Israel to that conclusion. He did not say what the information was.[4]
An Israeli security official told CBS that authorities are checking whether it was an attempted September 11-style attack and whether the attacker acted alone.[4]
What the U.S. president said
President Trump said the co-pilot was “perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack-job.”[2] On Thursday he said the man may be linked to Iran, “based on what I’m hearing.”[4]
Netanyahu was more cautious. He told Fox it was “too early to say” whether Iran was involved.[4]
What is still unknown
- The motive. No authority has established one.[2]
- The co-pilot’s identity. Israeli officials say he is an Omani national. An Omani official told CBS he was born in Oman and holds Omani citizenship, but the Omani government has not confirmed it publicly. We are not naming him because no official has.[3][4]
- The weapon. CBC notes one open question is what weapon was used and, if a knife, how it got on board.[3]
- Whether anyone sent him. Israel says it is investigating. Nothing public supports or rules it out.
Watch BBC News:
BBC News, a news organization, on YouTube (September 30, 2026): “Passengers tell Israeli media pilot was stabbed on flight diverted to Saudi Arabia.”
Where it happened
Pins mark the airports named in the reports. Map data: OpenStreetMap contributors.
How to Verify This Yourself
Read the reports: Al Jazeera, CBC, CBS News and The Guardian.
References
- The Guardian. What we know so far about alleged stabbing of pilot by co-pilot on flight to Israel (September 30, 2026). ↩
- Al Jazeera. Netanyahu calls stabbed Indian pilot a hero; Flydubai halts Israel flights (September 30, 2026). ↩
- CBC News. U.A.E. announces investigation into FlyDubai stabbing (October 1, 2026). ↩
- CBS News. What we’re learning about the FlyDubai co-pilot who allegedly stabbed the captain and tried to crash the plane (October 1, 2026). ↩
- The Independent. Pilot ‘tried to crash Israel-bound plane’ in attempted terror attack (September 30, 2026). ↩
Investigative methodology: this report was written by hand from the official statements and news reports listed above. Quoted passages are verbatim from those sources, each claim is attributed to the source it comes from, and suspect details are included only where officials state them.
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