Israel PM says one of the pilots of rerouted flight tried to crash plane

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that one of the pilots of a Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight had tried to crash the plane and kill its passengers, with the aircraft forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Passengers gave a similar account of the incident on board, describing a fight for control after the plane suddenly plummeted, losing around 17,000 feet of altitude in the span of a minute, according to the Flightradar24 website.

Flydubai said all the passengers -- of whom 166 out of 174 were Israeli, according to media reports -- were safe, adding that the reasons for the altercation were unknown. 

AFPTV images later showed another flydubai plane carrying the passengers touch down at Tel Aviv airport, hours after their initial flight was diverted to Saudi Arabia's Tabuk.

"During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot, and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board," Netanyahu said in a video message.

"I salute these heroes," he said of the passengers, adding "they prevented a major disaster".

Footage shared by the premier's office showed Netanyahu meeting the group at Tel Aviv airport and embracing a man in a bloodied shirt.

"Is that from him (the assailant)?" the premier asks, pointing at the stains.

"Yes -- unfortunately we did not manage to kill him, but he will take a while to recover," the man replies. 

The flight was rerouted to Tabuk "at 9:45 am (0645 GMT) and its captain and copilot were found to have injuries and were transported to hospital", a statement from the company operating the airport said.

- 'Out of control' -

Passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon said the plane was "pretty much out of control" as the incident unfolded over Jordan.

"So the co-pilot tried to murder the pilot and basically carry out a suicide attack on the plane," she told reporters by speakerphone held up by her mother, who was waiting at Ben Gurion Airport.

"It was really on the way to crashing, and it was simply the resourcefulness of many people who took control of the co-pilot and neutralised him," she said.

The airline later said it was another "on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely".

Netanyahu said the pilot who allegedly stabbed his colleague was being interrogated by Saudi authorities.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described the incident as "an attempted jihadist terror attack", but did not identify his source for assigning a motive. 

- 'A long day' -

Describing the flight's sudden plunge, passenger Almog Italie told AFP it was like "we were having very big turbulence". 

But there was no "hysteria", he noted, even as fighting erupted near the cockpit. 

"The other passengers from the front took over control," he told AFP via video call from Saudi Arabia.

"It has been a long day, luckily for us it's ended," Italie said after landing in Tel Aviv.

Fellow passenger Chaim Nazarovitz said the ordeal had been "very terrifying", adding that for a moment he felt like he was "not among the living".

Israel's Kan public broadcaster and Channel 12 reported that the Israeli military had scrambled fighter jets after fears of a possible hijacking.

In a video from inside the plane that was reposted by Israeli social media users, one passenger -- blood dripping from an open wound on his head -- pleaded for assistance and said they were descending into Saudi Arabia. 

Israel has no formal ties with the Gulf kingdom, but Italie said the group received a "very warm" welcome after landing there, adding "they did everything they could for us to feel at home, as a guest".

- Preparing for threats -

An AFP correspondent in Tabuk, where the plane landed, saw heavy security near the airport, with several police vehicles and an ambulance parked at the terminal.

Access to the terminal remained open.

In photos sent to AFP by one of the passengers, travellers, including children, were seen gathered in an airport lounge. 

The incident comes months into a regional war that erupted in late February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

It also comes just ahead of Israeli elections due to be held at the end of October.

On Tuesday, Netanyahu said there were "indications" that Israel's enemies could try to attack ahead of elections, and was accused of "fear-mongering" by the opposition chief.

Following Wednesday's incident, Netanyahu said he had "instructed the security services to prepare for additional potential threats".

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