Four Americans were among 174 passengers aboard a Tel Aviv-bound flight that plunged midair after the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and tried to crash the plane.
Fox News reported that four U.S. citizens were aboard the flydubai flight from Dubai when the co-pilot reportedly stabbed the pilot and sent the jet plunging nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds. The crisis in the cockpit forced an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier Wednesday, President Donald Trump weighed in for the first time, calling the entire ordeal an “incredible story.”
“It seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist, or perhaps a whack job. And he stabbed the pilot. The pilot was in very bad shape. I guess he still is in very bad shape,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
The commander in chief then praised the captain for opening the cockpit door.
“He had the sense to—amazing. In a way, he was a hero—to open the door. You know, those doors are solid steel; you can’t get them open from outside. He was able to fall back and get the door open and scream…”
Recounting what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told him over the phone, Trump also praised an Israeli plumber with no flying experience who said he intervened as the plane dropped thousands of feet midair.
“He ripped the G forces as they were… he ripped this guy out of the seat, threw him back. The crowd got him. The passengers got him, grabbed him,” Trump said, recounting what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told him over the phone. “And having never flown a plane, he took the stick, lifted it up and leveled out the plane before it crashed.”
Firsthand accounts describe a chaotic struggle as passengers and crew members rushed toward the cockpit, subdued the suspected attacker, and helped get the plane safely onto the ground, The Daily Wire reported.
“So a plumber never flew a plane. Strong guy, lift him up, throw him back. The crowd knew they were going to die shortly because the G forces. But they were able to hold him because he was going crazy, and he was crazy. And this plumber, never having flown a plane, had the sense to lift a stick,” Trump said in amazement.
At a press conference Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin downplayed threats to the American homeland, saying the Transportation Security Administration is always on “high alert.”
“This is an ongoing investigation. We were having conflicting reports this morning, still coming in. That’s what happens in a situation like this, especially so far away. I know the question may come up: is TSA taking a different posture at this? TSA, we’re always at high alert,” Mullin said. “We take every incident like this very serious, and we continue to look at the procedures that we have in place and continue to make sure the American people are safe.”
Israeli officials declared the incident a terror attack. The suspected hijacker, an Omani co-pilot, was arrested and taken into custody.
Israeli fighter jets were scrambled after authorities initially feared the aircraft had been hijacked. Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz held an emergency security consultation as the plane lost contact and veered away from Israel. The aircraft ultimately landed safely, with all passengers and crew members still alive, The Daily Wire reported.
With the dust settling, Israeli airline Arkia said it was preparing to resume direct flights between Tel Aviv and Dubai, according to The Times of Israel. The carrier plans to operate two daily flights on the route once “operational and logistical conditions” allow, the outlet reported. Arkia stressed the restart remains subject to receiving all required approvals from security authorities.