Israel flight hijacking latest: New footage emerges from inside plane after co-pilot ‘attacked captain with axe’

New footage shows bloodied Flydubai passengers rush to subdue pilotNew footage shows chaotic scenes aboard a FlyDubai flight to Israel as passengers wrestled a man who attacked his co-pilot with an axe in a suspected hijacking. Terrified people on the flight are seen speaking in a mixture of Hebrew and English as they call for a doctor and a pilot. Others shout “take him out” and “he tried to crash the plane” in the video shared by Israel’s Channel 12 news. The co-pilot who allegedly tried to hijack a flight to Israel on Wednesday attacked his fellow pilot with an axe, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed as questions loomed over the motives and background of the assailant.It remains unclear how the pilot gained access to a weapon and some analysts have suggested it may have been the emergency axe kept in the cockpit in case of emergency. Passenger Daniel Schlichter told Fox News on Thursday that the cabin was alerted to the attack by a woman and her daughter who saw the incident while heading to the lavatory. Air travel expert gives verdict on three key issues of the Flydubai plane hijackingThe alleged hijacking of an Israel-bound flight has raised questions over how secure the vetting process is for one of aviation’s most skilled jobs.Flydubai FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv rapidly descended during a terrifying ordeal as the co-pilot allegedly tried to take control of the plane after attacking his fellow pilot with an axe, or possibly stabbing him.It is still unclear why the co-pilot to acted in this way. Yet the question remains: how was this person able to bypass rigorous background checks and be given the responsibility of flying planes?Maira Butt2 October 2026 12:10Watch: New footage shows bloodied Flydubai passengers rush to subdue pilotNew footage shows bloodied Flydubai passengers rush to subdue pilotMaira Butt2 October 2026 11:40Israel’s Shin Bet had security concerns about UAE airports weeks before hijacking attempt: reportIsraeli authorities were concerned with possible missile attacks or attacks at an airport, the outlet reported on Thursday. A scenario like Wednesday’s hijacking attempt was “not raised in any discussion”, they said.Maira Butt2 October 2026 11:10Trump warns Tehran would be ‘hit very hard’ if FlyDubai attack linked to IranUS president Donald Trump has warned that Iran would be “hit very hard” if it was found to have been involved in the attack.Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel were generally barred from flying there, raising questions over how the suspected Omani pilot was allowed on the Flydubai flight.He said: “Obviously there was a loophole here and we’re taking care of that among other things... with the full co-operation, I have to say, of the Emirati government, so we’re both interested in making sure this doesn’t happen again.”Oman, unlike the UAE, does not have formal diplomatic ties with Israel.Asked whether there was evidence of Iranian involvement, Netanyahu said: “It’s too early to say.”Maira Butt2 October 2026 10:40Watch: Flydubai pilot reveals desperate attempts to unlock cockpit to passengers while being attackedFlydubai pilot reveals desperate attempts to unlock cockpit to passengers while being attackedMaira Butt2 October 2026 10:10Flydubai pilot tells India PM Modi he opened cockpit door while being attackedAn Indian pilot who was attacked in the FlyDubai flight incident told prime minister Narendra Nodi on Wednesday that he opened the door of the plane’s cockpit while being attacked, according to a video clip released by the prime minister's office on Friday.This screengrab from Narendra Modi YouTube Channel shows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking with FlyDubai pilot Capt. Smit Machchhar on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (Narendra Modi/Youtube)Maira Butt2 October 2026 09:45Watch: Netanyahu says Flydubai co-pilot underwent Islamist radical indoctrinationNetanyahu says Flydubai co-pilot underwent Islamist radical indoctrinationMaira Butt2 October 2026 09:20Israeli defence minister claims Flydubai cockpit attack ‘jihadist terror attack’Israeli defence minister Israel Katz has described the Flydubai cockpit incident as “a jihadist terrorist attack attempt”.Katz said in a statement: “The grave incident on the flydubai plane was a jihadist terrorist attack attempt, which was thwarted only thanks to the bravery of several Israeli passengers who broke into the cockpit, overpowered the terrorist and, with their own hands, restored control of the plane to another flight crew who was present there.”Israel’s ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said that there was “no doubt” the pilot intended to bring the Tel Aviv-bound plane down. “We have no doubt that it was a terror attack from a radical individual. We still cannot link it to a terror state or a terror organisation, but for sure we know that there was an intention to bring that plane down,” he told Fox News. He also described the incident as an attack on the Abraham Accords. Maroosha Muzaffar2 October 2026 08:50How a six-year-old helped prevent a 9/11-style major disasterA six-year-old girl, identified as Nina Manes, may have helped prevent a major disaster on the Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv after asking her mother to take her to the lavatory.Near the cockpit, her mother Tali Manes heard shouting and raised the alarm, then saw the captain being stabbed by the co-pilot.“There was blood all over the cockpit and very, very sharp fighting moves,” the mother of the six-year-old told the Israeli Channel 12.“I screamed, ‘He’s stabbing the pilot, he’s stabbing the pilot, come help!’ People looked at me and didn’t understand.”Passengers, including the girl’s father, rushed into the cockpit and subdued the co-pilot as the plane plunged from 34,000ft to 15,000ft. The aircraft, which suffered damage to its rudder, eventually landed safely in Saudi Arabia.Israeli officials said the Omani co-pilot appeared to have been radicalised and told The Times of Israel that he had talked online about “killing Jews”. Maroosha Muzaffar2 October 2026 08:20Investigators examining multiple possible motivesA regional official familiar with the Flydubai investigation has told the Associated Press that Saudi investigators were working with authorities from the UAE, US, Oman and Israel, and that “all possible scenarios, from terrorism to mental disorders, are being looked into”. “Nothing is ruled out for now”, the official said. Two Israeli security officials said their initial assessment was that the co-pilot was probably acting alone. The co-pilot, whose identity remains unknown, was arrested by Saudi security forces after the plane landed in Tabuk, northwest Saudi Arabia, and was being questioned by investigators. The UAE has also launched its own investigation into the attacker’s motive and whether the incident had any links to a “terrorist purpose”.Benjamin Netanyahu said: “It looks very likely that he was going to down the plane … The Islamist tendencies, that radicalisation that are found in his background, I think that’s a pretty good clue,” he said. Maroosha Muzaffar2 October 2026 07:50