Defense Minister Israel Katz said several Israeli passengers broke into the cockpit, subdued the attacker and helped another pilot regain control of the FlyDubai plane. Katz called it a thwarted jihadist terror attack and said preliminary information indicates the attacker intended to crash the plane with everyone aboard. Separately, Israeli security forces are investigating whether the pilot acted alone or had outside help.

Katz said security warnings from him and Prime Minister Netanyahu are intelligence-based and should be taken seriously by “our enemies abroad” and “out-of-date former officials at home.” He stressed that the warnings do not replace or come at the expense of proactive IDF operations against threats.