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    "original_url": "https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/09\/30\/world\/middleeast\/flydubai-israel-dubai-flight-pilots-attack.html?emc=edit_nn_20261001&nl=the-morning&segment_id=227346",
    "parsed_content": "Cockpit Attack on Flight to IsraelliveUpdatesOct. 1, 2026, 10:46 a.m. ET12m agoWhat to KnowPilot Hailed as HeroVideo: Passenger\u00a0AccountsFlyDubai and IsraelAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTSupported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTPanic and Heroics on FlyDubai Flight: \u2018We Felt That This Was It\u2019A routine flight turned terrifying when a violent altercation broke out inside the cockpit and the aircraft dropped 17,000 feet in two minutes. Passengers subdued a knife-wielding attacker.Listen \u00b7 4:36 min Share full articlePassengers from FlyDubai Flight 1073 at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday.Credit...vie Agence France-PresseBy Karla AdamAaron BoxermanNatan Odenheimer and Zane IrwinSept. 30, 2026Leer en espa\u00f1olSee more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra m\u00e1s de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de b\u00fasqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google Passengers on a morning flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv recounted scenes of panic and terror on Wednesday as their aircraft suddenly plunged thousands of feet while screams for help came from behind the cockpit door.The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said one of the pilots had stabbed the other, Capt. Smit Machchhar, an Indian citizen, and then had tried to crash the plane. The identity of the pilot who attacked Captain Machchhar has not yet been released. What began as a routine flight became terrifying when the violent altercation broke out inside the cockpit. Passengers, most of them Israelis, described a desperate scramble inside the cabin, as travelers realized the plane was out of control. A few rushed into the cockpit and tackled the pilot who had stabbed his colleague before two off-duty pilots, who had been traveling in the main cabin, helped land the aircraft safely in Saudi Arabia.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTMeital Zoller, who was traveling with her husband and child, said they realized something was wrong when \u201cthe plane went up and down.\u201d Then they heard screams, and the plane began diving.Want to stay updated on what\u2019s happening in Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates? Sign up for Your Places: Global Update, and we\u2019ll send our latest coverage to your inbox.\u201cWithin a few minutes, our plane completely lost control, and we felt that this was it \u2014 we were about to crash,\u201d one passenger, Miriam Ohayon, told Israel\u2019s I24 News, a television channel. \u201cWe heard screams on the plane, and when they opened the cockpit, there was a lot of blood.\u201dAsaf Rajuan, one of the Israeli passengers who helped subdue the attacker, told reporters that he and five other passengers \u201cacted on instinct\u201d after realizing that the plane was in a steep nosedive. They burst into the cockpit and wrestled with the pilot who had attacked his colleague. \u201cWe neutralized him very quickly,\u201d he said, adding that crew members helped restrain him. Dr. Shota Musev, a dentist who said he was one of the first to reach the cockpit after the attack, said that he and another passenger tied the attacker\u2019s hands together with headphone cables. Dr. Musev said he treated the injured pilot for severe wounds to his head and cuts on his fingers. He said the attacker\u2019s body was bloody as well, but it was not immediately clear if the blood was his or someone else\u2019s. AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTHila Gaier, who was also on the flight, said that when the plane dived many passengers couldn\u2019t move because of the forces acting on their bodies. \u201cYou were sucked downward,\u201d she told Kan, Israel\u2019s public broadcaster. She said she was flying with her partner and two daughters. \u201cI embraced them, told them I loved them, and we tried to practice breathing exercises,\u201d she said.Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed Flight 1073 descended more than 17,000 feet in less than two minutes. \u201cThe plane kept stabilizing and then dropping again for several long seconds,\u201d one passenger, Almog Itali, told Channel 12. The plane landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and the pilots were taken to a hospital.Adam Polovincik, 40, who was on the flight with his family, described it as an \u201cextreme experience,\u201d even as he tried to remain calm for his children.Speaking by phone from Saudi Arabia, which has no formal diplomatic relations with Israel, Mr. Polovincik said the circumstances in the Saudi airport were surreal.\u201cThey brought us food and drink, served us coffee,\u201d Mr. Polovincik said. \u201cYes, there are a lot of soldiers here and government officials, but the atmosphere is very relaxed, pleasant and respectful.\u201dAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTThe passengers were later flown on a replacement plane to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, where they were greeted with Israeli flags. Many said they were still reeling from the ordeal. Peleg Itali, a high school student, described his thoughts as he felt the plane start to plummet. \u201cIn my head, I said, \u2018I\u2019m so screwed, I\u2019m so screwed. I don\u2019t deserve to die like this,\u2019\u201d he said. Leo Sands, Adam Rasgon, Johnatan Reiss and Heedo Abu Laban contributed reporting.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT",
    "published_at": "2026-09-30T15:45:35+00:00",
    "author_name": "Karla Adam, Aaron Boxerman, Natan Odenheimer, Zane Irwin",
    "site_name": "The New York Times",
    "section": "World",
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    "ai_headline": "Cockpit Attack on Flight to Israel",
    "ai_simplified_title": "FlyDubai Flight Pilots Attacked, Passengers Subdue Attacker",
    "ai_excerpt": "A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv experienced a terrifying incident when a pilot attacked his colleague in the cockpit, causing the plane to plunge 17,000 feet. Passengers intervened, subduing the attacker, and two off-duty pilots helped land the aircraft safely in Saudi Arabia.",
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