A potential mass-casualty terror attack was averted Wednesday aboard a flydubai flight carrying roughly 150 Israelis from Dubai to Israel, after the copilot allegedly stabbed the captain and is suspected by Israeli security officials of attempting to seize control of the Boeing 737 MAX and crash it.

Flight FZ1073 ultimately landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after a terrifying midair ordeal that saw the aircraft plunge nearly 14,000 feet in roughly 30 seconds, transmit an emergency code followed by the international code for unlawful interference or hijacking, and trigger the scrambling of Israeli Air Force fighter jets. Reuters reported that Israeli officials increasingly believe the incident was an attempted terror attack, while investigators have not yet publicly established the motive.

The aircraft was carrying approximately 180 people, including roughly 150 Israelis, according to multiple reports.

According to passenger accounts and Israeli media reports, the copilot attacked the captain inside the cockpit, stabbing and seriously wounding him. The aircraft then began a horrifying uncontrolled descent.

Passengers described scenes of screaming and blood as the plane rapidly lost altitude.

Several Israeli passengers and members of the crew rushed forward and managed to enter the cockpit area, overpower the alleged attacker and help bring the situation under control. The Wall Street Journal reported that passengers intervened to remove the attacker from the cockpit, while Reuters reported that both pilots were injured and hospitalized following the incident.

“Three or four people saved 180 lives,” a passenger identified as Adam told Channel 13.

Another passenger described the terrifying moments to Channel 12.

“We prayed ‘Shema Yisrael,’” the passenger said. “There were also moments when we thought we weren’t going to make it out alive.”

Videos recorded aboard the aircraft showed an extraordinary scene following the confrontation, with blood visible and passengers tending to the wounded.

One passenger could be heard saying, “They tried to murder the pilot. We subdued [the attacker].”

Another bloodied passenger recorded himself saying that the suspected attackers had been subdued and that the aircraft was preparing to land.

Flight-tracking data underscores just how close the incident may have come to catastrophe.

The Boeing 737 MAX was cruising at approximately 34,000 feet when it suddenly plunged by nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds, according to Flightradar24 data cited by Reuters. It later remained at a substantially lower altitude as the emergency unfolded.

The aircraft initially transmitted squawk code 7700, the international signal for a general emergency. It subsequently transmitted code 7500 — the code used to indicate unlawful interference with an aircraft — before later returning to 7700 and diverting to Tabuk.

The emergency signals set off alarms at the highest levels of Israel’s security establishment.

Israeli Air Force fighter jets were scrambled toward the aircraft, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz held urgent security consultations. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir also conducted a security assessment with senior commanders.

“The situation is under control, and all measures are currently being taken to bring the Israeli passengers back to Israel safely,” the Prime Minister’s Office said during the incident.

Initial reports described the emergency as a violent altercation between the pilots and Israeli officials initially said it did not appear to be a conventional hijacking.

That assessment began shifting as additional information and passenger testimony emerged.

Reuters reported that Israeli officials now view an attempted terror attack as the leading possibility rather than a mental-health episode, although the investigation remains underway and no final determination has been announced.

Israeli reports identify the suspected attacker as the copilot and say he is an Omani national, while the captain is Emirati. Calcalist reported that senior Israeli security officials suspect the Omani copilot attempted to crash the aircraft before the captain, crew members and Israeli passengers regained control. The nationalities and precise sequence of events have not yet been formally confirmed by flydubai or Saudi authorities.

Channel 14 reported that Israeli security officials are examining whether the alleged attack was a deliberate attempt to crash the plane in a mass-casualty attack, rather than a spontaneous fight between the pilots.

Flydubai has so far been considerably more cautious in its public account.

The airline confirmed that FZ1073 “experienced an incident while en route” and landed safely at Tabuk Airport.

“All passengers are safe and accounted for,” flydubai said, adding that its teams are cooperating with the relevant authorities and that additional information will be released once details are confirmed.

The incident also created an extraordinary diplomatic situation: approximately 150 Israelis suddenly found themselves on the ground in Saudi Arabia, a country that maintains no formal diplomatic relations with Israel.

Israeli officials were working with Saudi authorities to arrange their return, with Israeli civilian airlines offering to dispatch a rescue flight and other options also being examined.

(YWN Israel Desk — Jerusalem)