A FlyDubai flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning following an apparent incident in the cockpit, according to an Israeli security source who spoke with ABC News.
The source said a violent altercation occurred aboard the aircraft. Israeli authorities are investigating the incident as a possible terror-related event.
The plane was diverted and landed in Tabuk, a city in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on X that Netanyahu “held consultations on the matter and is monitoring developments.”
“The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel,” the prime minister’s office said.
The flight, carrying mostly Israeli passengers, departed Dubai at 7:05 a.m. local time, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24.
Flight data indicated that the aircraft dropped rapidly from 34,000 feet to 16,000 feet over a three-minute period.
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Roughly 10 minutes after the initial descent, the aircraft’s squawk code — the signal used to communicate with air traffic control — shifted to “general emergency.” Seven minutes later, it changed again to a code associated with a hijacking or “unlawful interference.”
The plane continued at a lower altitude, averaging about 15,000 feet, before landing in Tabuk. The landing occurred approximately one to one and a half hours after the rapid descent and emergency signals began.
FlyDubai confirmed that the aircraft “experienced an incident while en route” and subsequently landed in Tabuk.
An Israeli security source told ABC News that the Israel Defense Forces recommended sending a military aircraft to bring the Israeli passengers home from Saudi Arabia.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Victoria Beaule and David Brennan contributed to this report.
