Flydubai passenger describes putting attacker in chokehold after cockpit stabbing

What the report says

Passengers on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv described helping to subdue a pilot after he stabbed the other pilot and appeared to try to disable the aircraft. According to the BBC, one passenger, Yaniv Hayun, said the plane suddenly dropped and passengers were frightened as the cabin lost power. He said he and others forced their way toward the cockpit, where they found one pilot injured and the attacker near the controls.

Hayun told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a video shared on social media that he put the attacker in a chokehold and helped pull him away from the instrument panel. Another passenger, Zvika Meness, said several travelers restrained the suspect using zip ties and headphones. The BBC reported that on-duty pilots who had been in the passenger cabin later moved to the front and helped stabilize the flight.

The aircraft diverted and landed at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia before passengers were taken onward to Tel Aviv on a repatriation flight. Several passengers described the episode as terrifying, and some were visibly shaken after landing. The injured pilot, identified by the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia as Captain Smit Machchhar, was taken to hospital and was reported to be in stable condition.

The attacker was arrested and is being questioned by Saudi authorities. No official motive has been confirmed. The incident has drawn attention because it involved an apparent attempt to interfere with flight controls during a commercial passenger journey, raising immediate safety concerns.