Israeli minister claims ‘terrorist’ wanted to crash plane after Israel-bound flight’s emergency landing – latest

Israeli media say incident, which raised fears of possible hijacking, stemmed from feud between plane’s two pilots

• Full report: Israel-bound passenger plane makes emergency landing in Saudi Arabia

The FlyDubai flight FZ 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia this morning after transmitting emergency signals.

According to Israeli media, a fight had broken out between the plane’s two pilots. Passengers described one of the pilots being seriously injured in an alleged stabbing.

The Boeing 737 plane, which Israeli officials said had between 160 and 180 passengers on board, transmitted a general emergency signal about two and a half hours after departing from Dubai, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.

It diverted to Saudi Arabia as it flew over Jordanian airspace, transmitting another emergency signal that indicated what is known as a possible unlawful interference.

The plane again transmitted the initial general emergency signal before later landing at Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk airport.

The aircraft’s data appeared to show that it had suddenly and rapidly descended by nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before the first emergency signal. It was not immediately clear who transmitted the emergency signals.

Tabuk airport said the plane landed at 9.45am local time and that both pilots were taken to hospital after sustaining injuries.

The Israeli prime minister’s office said the situation was “under control” and that steps were being taken to bring the passengers to Israel.

An Israeli minister has decried what he described as a “terrorist” incident to kill Israelis after a flight was forced to land in Saudi Arabia when a physical altercation between the pilot and co-pilot prompted initial fears of a hijacking.