Fresh images from a Flydubai flight that made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia have emerged, showing a passenger with a blood-stained T-shirt after a reported altercation inside the aircraft’s cockpit.
Flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when it issued an emergency alert and diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. The incident initially triggered fears of a hijacking, with Israel scrambling fighter jets to assess the situation.
Israeli media later reported, citing security officials, that the emergency was linked to an altercation between the aircraft's two pilots. The exact circumstances surrounding the confrontation have not been officially established.
Passengers describe screams and blood
Photos accessed by Israeli channel N12 showed a passenger wearing a bloodied T-shirt as other people on board appeared distressed.
Passenger accounts shared with Israeli media described a chaotic scene after the cockpit reportedly became the centre of the emergency.
One woman told Channel 12, as reported by The Times of Israel, “We heard screams on the plane," before passengers saw blood after the cockpit was opened.
She further claimed, “Someone had stabbed the pilot with a pocketknife."
According to her account, Israeli passengers and crew members helped restrain the alleged attacker. She also described the fear that spread through the aircraft.
“There were also moments when we thought we weren’t going to make it out alive," she said.
The passenger said some people prayed, “Shema Yisrael," during the incident.
Passenger says aircraft began to dive
Another passenger, identified as Noam, said passengers realised something was wrong after hearing screams.
“Screams began on the plane by passengers who realised what was happening," she told Channel 12.
Noam also described what appeared to be a sudden loss of control.
“It started to dive quickly. It was very scary," she said.
Her account included an allegation that one pilot had been stabbed and seriously injured. However, reports of a stabbing, the identity of the alleged attacker and the precise sequence of events have not been officially confirmed.
Plane lands safely in Saudi Arabia
The aircraft eventually landed in Tabuk, where all passengers were reported safe. According to The Associated Press, the emergency alert was transmitted shortly after takeoff, with flight-tracking data indicating that the incident occurred around two and a half hours into the journey.
The initial possibility of a hijacking prompted Israel to scramble warplanes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office later said the situation was under control and that efforts were underway to bring the passengers back home.
Authorities have so far provided limited details about what happened inside the cockpit.