Netanyahu: Saudi authorities are questioning a Flydubai pilot

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that one of the pilots of the Flydubai aircraft, which made an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, likely attempted to cause the plane to crash.

The Flydubai Boeing 737 Max 8 was operating flight FZ1073 from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. There were 174 passengers on board, the majority of whom were Israeli.

During the flight, as they approached Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the other and apparently attempted to cause the plane, with passengers on board, to crash , Netanyahu said.

 I spoke with one of the Israeli passengers. He told me that the plane had gone into a spin and started to descend. He said that he had somehow managed to force his way into the cockpit with a crew member, and together they subdued the pilot, who had inflicted a knife wound, as he was attempting to disable the aircraft's systems. Another flight crew member on board entered the cockpit and managed to stabilize the plane, the Israeli Prime Minister added.

 He hailed the passengers who prevented the crash as heroes. According to Netanyahu, they "saved many lives and averted a massive catastrophe."

"The pilot who carried out the attack has been arrested and is currently being questioned by Saudi authorities,"  the Prime Minister said.

Meanwhile, Flydubai stated that the investigation into the incident is ongoing and urged people to refrain from speculation.