After co-pilot stabbed the captain of a flydubai flight mid-air in the cockpit, Israel on Wednesday claimed that it was a "terrorist" attack.
Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the "terrorist" wanted to crash flydubai's FZ1073 and kill Israelis.
Two officials, who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, said Israel believes that the incident was an attempted "terror attack" and not related to any kind of mental health issue with either of the pilots.
According to Israeli officials, the co-pilot stabbed the captain before the cabin crew entered the cockpit and took control of the flight. Reports also indicated that an additional pilot crew -- a Russian and a Ukrainian -- were travelling as passengers helped land the aircraft safely in Saudi Arabia.
The hijack scare aboard the flight from the UAE to Israel led to the aircraft to make emergency landing in Saudi Arabia's Tabuk airport.
The injured captain was identified as an Indian national while the co-pilot who attacked him was an Omani citizen. Both of them were hospitalised in Saudi Arabia due to injuries.
The Boeing 737 plane, which Israeli media said had around 150 Israeli passengers on board. All of them are reportedly safe.
Flightradar24 reported that the aircraft appeared to have rapidly descended by nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before the first emergency signal.
Officials revealed that Israel scrambled warplanes amid the hijack scare. Once the cockpit was secured, the flight was diverted to Saudi Arabia and landed in Tabuk airport.
