Netanyahu says co-pilot tried to crash plane after stabbing captain

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that a co-pilot tried to crash a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv after stabbing the captain.

A fight broke out between the two pilots in the cockpit on Wednesday, during which the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain. The aircraft then lost around 17,000 feet in just two minutes before landing safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with the help of passengers and crew members.

Netanyahu said most of the passengers were Israeli and claimed the co-pilot’s actions indicated an attempt to crash the plane with everyone on board.

He said an Israeli passenger told him that the aircraft was descending sharply and that he and another crew member managed to enter the cockpit, where the co-pilot was allegedly trying to damage the aircraft’s systems.