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Flydubai Incident May Be Attempted Terror Attack, One Pilot Apparently Tried to Crash Israel-Bound Flight after Stabbing the Other; Passenger's Father Describes Chaos Aboard Flight. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired September 30, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: -- is whether or not there would be additional pilots on board these Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flights,
because clearly what the prime minister is saying and what we've also heard from Flydubai indicates that there were additional pilots on board this
plane.
Additional Flydubai crew members, at least capable of landing a plane, presumably pilots on board. So whether that was part of the safety protocol
or just a matter of circumstance is not something that we have been able to fully confirm yet.
But clearly in this case, the fact that those pilots, additional pilots appear to have been on board, you know, certainly seems to have saved the
lives of everyone involved.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Yes. Jeremy, stay with me. It's the top of the hour so I just want to get our viewers bang up to date on what we know this
hour.
An attempted terror attack on an airplane narrowly prevented. That is how two Israeli sources describe what happened on board a flight from Dubai
bound for Tel Aviv earlier today.
Those sources, Israeli sources suspect the copilot of the Flydubai flight was trying to hijack the plane after stabbing the captain. The copilot
eventually restrained by passengers and Israel's prime minister now weighing in.
Benjamin Netanyahu saying one of the pilots appeared to try to crash the plane after stabbing the other. And here is one account of what was going
on inside the plane from one of those passengers
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We are here on the plane right now. We have taken control of the terrorists. We are about to land. Anyone
who hears me, we need help.
We are landing in Tabuk, probably in the Saudi Arabia area, an unknown and unfamiliar area. Everyone on the plane is healthy and whole except for the
pilot. We need help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, we've still got Jeremy Diamond in Jerusalem and Eleni Giokos joining us from Dubai.
And Eleni, as I understand it, you've just got a new statement from Flydubai.
What does that say?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This is the second statement of the day. We've been chasing the story just to get a bit more
information.
So Flydubai has now confirmed there was indeed an altercation. And as Jeremy pointed to this earlier, that Flydubai crew was able to divert and
then landing safely in Tabuk. And they've confirmed that all passengers and crew are accounted for as well as safe.
What is interesting, and I want you to take a listen to this specific point, because there's a lot of -- a lot of talk around -- and specifically
from Israeli sources around this being a potential terror attack.
Flydubai says, at this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation.
We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts.
And, of course, they're saying that they are focusing on the health and safety of the crew as well as the passengers. We know that there are going
to be sending more aircraft to Tabuk to relieve the crew that obviously went through this harrowing experience as well with the passengers.
But you know, the big question is what passengers experienced throughout this ordeal, specifically when we had this massive descent of 17,400 feet
in the span of two minutes and then, of course, the harrowing realization that they then had to be diverted and land somewhere else after this
incident. Take a listen to one of the passengers, Becky.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Everything is OK. We landed probably in Saudi Arabia. There is a pilot here who was severely wounded.
They are evacuating him. Another terrorist, whose condition we don't know but he is tied up. It was tough. It was tough.
Probably in a few more hours, we'll get home. I need to change my clothes. Everything is covered in blood
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Yes and it gives you just a snapshot. I know we're getting a lot more information about the passenger experience here, Becky. But by all
accounts, from what we know, is that absolutely scary scenario. And, of course, a big, you know, big focus on the passengers that intervened.
And then, of course, the Flydubai crew that was able to land the plane safely. You know, speaking to aviation experts and saying that that massive
G-force experience during the descent, that that actually impacted some of the plane. And in fact, very lucky to be able to land safely, despite being
at such low altitude, in the span of two minutes.
ANDERSON: Right. So. Eleni, thank you,
Jeremy, we are hearing now from a number of Israeli officials.
[10:05:00]
Not least Benjamin Netanyahu, in a video statement, again tell us what he said just moments ago.
DIAMOND: That's right. The Israeli prime minister is providing new details about what happened on board this incident. He calls it a very serious
security incident. And in his telling, one of the pilots aboard that plane stabbed the other pilot and then tried to crash that plane with all of its
passengers and crew on board
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL (through translator): Morning (ph). There was a severe security incident from Dubai to Israel. Almost all
passengers on the flight were Israelis.
During the flight, as they're approaching Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and most probably tried to crash the plane on (INAUDIBLE).
I spoke with one of the Israeli passengers and he told me.
(INAUDIBLE) and started to sink. And somehow he managed to break into the cockpit with one of the team members. And together they neutralized just
the pilot -- the pilot who stabbed the other pilot while he was trying to jeopardize the systems of the plane.
Another person from the team managed to break into the cockpit and stabilize the plane.
I salute those heroes for their remarkable resourcefulness, saving lives and preventing horrible, a heavy disaster. The plane landed in Tabuk, Saudi
Arabia, and out of danger. The stabbing pilot is being investigated by the authorities and we are in contact with the authorities.
In order to guarantee the passengers' welfare and secure return to Israel, I instructed the security operations to --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAMOND: And so, beyond what the Israeli prime minister actually said in that statement, what also is notable is what he did not say. He did not
call this terrorism even though we've been told by Israeli sources that they are -- that they suspect that this may have been an attempted
terrorist attack.
But that shows that the work is very much still ongoing by Israeli authorities to try and determine whether or not this was a terrorist
attack, an attempted terrorist attack, what the motivations were of this copilot who stabbed the captain of the plane and then tried to crash the
plane, according to the Israeli prime minister.
And so there are so many unknown questions here, how these -- this passenger and crew member managed to break into this cockpit to stop what
was going to be a disaster, should that plane have continued in its dramatic descent toward the Earth.
So a lot that we still don't know here and a lot that Israeli authorities are currently trying to piece together
ANDERSON: So heard from U.S. ambassador Mike Huckabee. Just get us up to speed on what he and other officials are saying where you are.
DIAMOND: Yes. Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, saying that the details are still unclear about this incident. But he said that it is
clear that Israelis on board helped to subdue this copilot, who apparently tried to take over the plane.
He said it could have been a horrific incident but everyone is safe. We are also hearing from a number of top Israeli officials, who are also saluting
the heroism of the Israeli passengers on board.
We don't yet know the identities of the Israeli passengers, who not only the one who actually broke into the cockpit and managed to take down that
assailant but also the other passengers, who we've seen in videos, standing around this copilot and who may have also been involved in subduing him,
restraining him.
And ultimately contributing to the fact that this plane landed safely, ultimately in Saudi Arabia. The other thing that we're still waiting on,
Becky, is for these Israelis, who are currently in Saudi Arabia, a country, which we should note, while there is quiet cooperation, there are no formal
diplomatic relations between these two countries.
They are still waiting to be repatriated back to Israel. There's been some disagreement over how that's going to happen. Israel wanted to send one of
its own planes to Saudi Arabia.
The Saudis, according to an Israeli officials, have denied that request. And so it appears that Flydubai is sending some planes there now. We are
waiting to see what the timing will be of when those passengers make it safely back home.
[10:10:05]
ANDERSON: Understood. Jeremy, thank you.
I want to get a deeper dive into how this could have happened and what it would have felt like on that plane. And you've seen some sound and vision
from some of those passengers who've been through a truly traumatic experience, it seems.
Seems, you know, many of whom seem to be very, very calm, you know, in the face of what can only be described as terrifying. I want to bring in CNN
transportation analyst Mary Schiavo. She's a former inspector general of the U.S. Transportation Department.
Mary, it's good to have you. Look, it's fair to describe this as a shape- shifting story as we learn more detail. I mean, this was a flight that took off local time earlier this morning. It is now after 6:00 in the evening
here in the UAE.
When you see the images and hear the accounts that we've been running for our viewers from inside the plane, what's your initial reaction?
I mean, just how terrifying would this have been and how would the crew have managed it?
MARY SCHIAVO, CNN TRANSPORTATION ANALYST: Well, it would have been terrifying for the passengers because, you know, at that point in the
flight, they would have been strapped in their seats.
Those that were strapped in were lucky because, in this dive, literally, just imagine the pilot pushing the controls full forward, because that's
what this dive is.
They would have felt G-forces. This would have quite possibly been a dive or a very rapid descent that was outside even the performance parameters of
the plane.
So this plane will have to be checked very carefully. But passengers could have gone flying up, you know, from their seats if they weren't belted in.
Service carts, et cetera, would have been flying around the cabin.
But most importantly, at this point in the flight, they would have all realized this was not a normal part of the flight.
And then the second part of this, this is going to change probably worldwide, how people are looking at security right now because the whole
idea, the focus was on the passengers.
The security at the airports was check everything about the passengers, have, you know, preflight, you know, precheck, clear all these other things
to look at the passengers.
And at airports, crew had a different lane, often with what I think is less scrutiny, less, you know, they were had, you know, less impact on them
looking through their bags, et cetera.
This will obviously cause worldwide to people consider that and should there be changes made.
ANDERSON: Yes. So as we understand it -- and this is the reporting that we are getting from sources out of Israel and now we've had a video statement
from the Israeli prime minister -- that the pilots were incapacitated as a result, it seems, of this altercation. It seems the copilot attacked the
pilot on this plane.
What do you understand about how that plane, which dropped some 15,000 feet in a matter of seconds, how and who landed it?
SCHIAVO: So this is another thing will likely change the way we look at security. So after September 11th, 2001, the emphasis was on keeping anyone
from the cabin out of the cockpit.
Now it is clear, as has happened in other cases, where I'm remembering Germanwings in 2015, EgyptAir in 1999, these were both cases of pilot
suicide, where the pilot, one pilot put the plane -- in EgyptAir into the ocean and Germanwings into the mountains.
And so now we have to wonder, is totally banning the any access to the cockpit from the passenger cabin wise?
ANDERSON: As I said, the -- this plane made a steep drop of some 15,000 feet. Let's talk about how that drop would have been corrected in the
middle of what seems like a violent altercation, miraculously or perhaps not.
Perhaps as a result of security there were other pilots who could crew that flight on the plane. But we're talking about righting an aircraft, which
was, you know, it seems potentially, purposefully, you know, directed to hit the ground. It was righted in a matter of minutes, if not seconds.
How does that happen?
SCHIAVO: Well, in this case, they -- and this is going to be something that I'm sure many people will investigate.
Why did they have the extra pilots on board?
Were they Flydubai pilots?
Apparently they were.
Is this their standard process?
Because the flight wasn't long enough to have them be required.
[10:15:00]
But obviously they knew to fly -- how to fly this plane. And they did get it stabilized. They did not climb again but instead asked for permission
to, you know, make an emergency return and landing.
So first of all, they had to get into the cockpit. It says they had to break in. If there was a secondary barrier, you know, if they had to break
through two doors, that might have not been possible to do. And then obviously they took over the plane and flew it.
But you -- this is -- this is beyond luck. This is really, you know, fortunate but almost miraculous that they were able to do that, stabilize
the plane and then land it, amazing.
ANDERSON: Yes. And you've talked about how, you know, authorities around the world will be very mindful of an incident like this and of the
incidents, as you say -- and I remember both of those incidents that you were speaking of, when planes crashed by pilots' suicide on those two
occasions.
You know, the authorities around the world will be looking at this and reassessing sort of, you know, what security is needed, who needs to be on
those flights.
So are U.S. Marshals, for example, on flights?
They certainly were after 9/11. I don't know if that's statutory these days.
You know, do you imagine these decisions will be made quickly or will this be sort of, you know, we don't know whether this is as a result of the
conflict in this region, whether this is going to be more regional authorities looking at this at this, at this stage?
What's your assessment?
SCHIAVO: Well, El Al and Israel over the years were often the gold standard for onboard security and pilot security. And they have, in the
past, literally had secondary or third level screening on all flights and have had, you know, additional security forces on the planes.
And certainly it's not on all planes in the U.S. and everyone knows it. But they will be looking at that and what kind of security has to take place. I
imagine Israel will react immediately and will put security on every flight into and out of Israel.
This is also going to call into question the pilot mental health, security, all other sorts of screening of pilots.
How again -- we've asked this question of before after EgyptAir, that was a pilot suicide, after Germanwings, a pilot suicide -- what kind of
background and how often are these screenings conducted of pilots?
That will certainly bring that into question as well.
And what kind of just, you know, just simple intelligence and security do exist to help screen out pilots who intend ill?
And what were the backgrounds on all of the people on board, et cetera?
But it does appear to be a lone wolf.
ANDERSON: Yes. All right. It's good to have you, Mary. Thank you very much indeed.
We will continue to gather information on this and report it across our platforms, both TV and our digital platforms, as and when we get it in, of
course. Stay with us for that. Much more on this to come. Stay with CNN.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:20:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Well, the latest on our breaking news this hour. A major disaster narrowly averted in the air. Israeli prime minister Benjamin
Netanyahu is speaking about the diverted Flydubai flight that was, earlier today, bound for Israel from Dubai.
Says it appears one of the pilots stabbed the other and tried to crash that plane. Well, during the incident, the plane descended 5,300 meters --
that's about 14,000 feet -- in just two minutes. And an emergency signal transmitted from the plane sent Israeli fighter jets scrambling initially.
It eventually landed safely in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Well, earlier I spoke to Noa Shpigel. She is an Israeli political reporter for Haaretz. And
her mum, her mother was on the plane. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NOA SHPIGEL, KNESSET REPORTER, HAARETZ: She said that they actually saw something that looked like a terror attack, that someone was trying to stop
the pilot and the copilot.
And there was a bunch of young Israeli guys in the front of the airplane. And they were the ones who actually jump into the (INAUDIBLE) and took
control over the guy who started the -- who was trying to stop the pilot.
ANDERSON: Right.
SHPIGEL: And she said the Israeli guys actually saved the situation. And, after that, they started to land, right the airplane safely.
ANDERSON: So, Noa, what is it?
Did she describe what it was that made her describe this as it feeling like a terror attack?
(LAUGHTER)
SHPIGEL: I think the situation because, you know, in Israel, usually when you see people with taking a knife and start to stab, we assume that it's a
terror attack. You know, we have our background. But she said it felt like a terror attack.
We still don't know actually what was happening. No one actually was talking to us. And we got no, you know, like, information. So we're still
waiting to know, you know, what was really happened there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, it is emerging that the cockpit vulnerability is a key aspect of this situation. CNN national security analyst Juliette Kayyem
explains that. Have a listen
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So this is the biggest vulnerability in airline safety since 9/11. You know, we have secured the
cockpits. They are sanitized areas, almost impossible to penetrate.
But there are two people in there and one of them has a nefarious intent. We don't know what that intent is yet. It is almost impossible to stop
that. We've seen this previously, either whether it's suicide by pilot, where they have mental illnesses and they bring the plane down.
Or in this instance, one has to begin with the potential that this was targeted against Israeli passengers specifically and that it was for maybe
hostage purposes. But more likely, given the flight plan, that this was a copilot who intended on crashing the plane.
We know this simply because if you -- if you are -- if there's a hostage situation, you're going to land the plane somewhere and then what happens,
right?
So we have no proof or no reporting yet that there was a group waiting for the plane for the traditional hostage situation like we saw in the 1970s.
This is the biggest vulnerability in airline travel. And given who was in the plane, the Israelis and all intelligence agencies will be starting with
the premise that this was a terror incident
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right. More on this after this short break.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:25:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.
ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. This is our Gulf Middle East broadcasting headquarters. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD.
And let me bring you up to date on what we know at this hour on our breaking news.
An attempted terror attack on an airplane, narrowly prevented is how two Israeli sources describe what happened on board a flight from Dubai bound
for Tel Aviv earlier today. They suspect the copilot of the Flydubai flight was trying to hijack the plane after stabbing the captain.
The copilot eventually restrained by passengers and Israel's prime minister now weighing in. Benjamin Netanyahu saying one of the pilots appeared to
try to crash the plane after stabbing the other. Have a listen
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NETANYAHU: This morning there was a severe security incident on a flight from Dubai to Israel. Almost all the passengers on the flight were
Israelis.
During the flight, as they approach Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the second one and probably tried to crash the plane on all these passengers. I
spoke with one of the passengers and he told me that the plane went through the turbulence and started to sink.
And that in a way somehow he managed to broke (sic) into the cockpit and that together, with the other pilot did stab, they neutralized the stabber.
Another team were on the plane, went into the cockpit and managed to stabilize the plane.
I salute those heroes who were resourceful and discovered rscflns and saved the plane. The plane was -- landed -- the plane landed in Tabuk and we are
in contact with the authorities in order to guarantee the passengers' welfare and safety and bringing back to Israel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, we do have that moment that the plane touched down. I want to show you that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): And that was the moment inside the plane. You can see the passengers there very relieved, cheering as they hit the ground
safely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: But before that, passengers on board have described a chaotic scene inside the cabin, including a sudden drop in altitude and a bloody
pilot emerging from the cockpit. The father of one of the passengers describes what his child told him happened next.
[10:30:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELYAKIM ITALY, FATHER OF FLYDUBAI PASSENGER: The plane, they will -- heard a noise and a problem because the plane is like crashed down 15,000 feet in
one minute. And later they saw one or three of the Israeli who go to the front, to the cockpit and nothing -- later they saw one of the -- of the
captain go out with a -- with a blood on the shirt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: So one father there describing what he was told by his child, who was on that flight, Eleni Giokos back with us this hour from Dubai.
We've had a statement from Flydubai, in fact, two today, the very latest just in.
What does it say, Eleni?
GIOKOS: Yes. Yes, so the very latest, Becky, says that it has confirmed there was an altercation. I remind you, the very first statement that was
put out, they said it was an incident. Now they're saying it's an altercation, which basically coincides with what we've heard from Israeli
sources earlier today.
They say that the aircraft was successfully secured by on-duty Flydubai crew that diverted and then landed the aircraft in Tabuk in Saudi Arabia,
the northwestern part of Saudi Arabia.
They also say this, that, at the early -- because this is early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind the event are unknown and remain
subject to a formal investigation. We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts.
So very clearly saying that there shouldn't be speculation around this. Now it's very different from what we've heard from Israeli sources. They say
that this could have been attempted terror attack.
We also heard from prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu a short while ago. He says that one of the pilots had attempted to crash the plane after the
stabbing. So a lot of details now emerging.
But as you say, we're starting to hear so much more from passengers and the harrowing account of what everyone went through on that plane, absolutely
vital in piecing this story together, Becky.
ANDERSON: Just looking at that flight tracker there, let's just remind our viewers, who may not be familiar with this part of the world, how far or
how long that flight takes generally from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Flydubai and Etihad, of course, both airlines that continue to fly to Tel Aviv. Many
other airlines, of course, don't.
And how far away from Tel Aviv it was when that plane over Saudi fell, you know, significantly, the -- and had to land.
GIOKOS: So getting that map up -- and it basically shows it wasn't too far away. And you know, that two-minute descent, Becky, that nosedive of 17,400
feet, really telling in terms of what happened.
The other question I've been asking is why the plane had disengaged autopilot. So usually planes are on autopilot but clearly it wasn't on
autopilot. That's why there was this massive descent.
So some aviation experts that I've spoken to say that there are two reasons for it. Usually over Saudi Arabian airspace, a lot of the pilots do
disengage autopilot because of the Houthi threat, which, of course, is the Iranian proxy. So there's concern there.
Then the other reason could have been where it was deliberately done. Again, we don't really know. We don't want to speculate. But these are all
a part of the story that we're piecing together.
The plane then, after being at around 16,600 feet, starts to descend after sending out emergency signals, really activating authorities throughout the
region, specifically Israeli authorities, to, you know, embark on a cabinet security meeting.
You had Israeli fighter jets that were scrambling as well. And you can see that image there of that massive drop in two minutes, that G-force on that
plane. And luckily, from what we understand from Flydubai, because they say everyone was safe and everyone accounted for.
3and we've heard nothing from Israeli authorities. No injuries have been reported thus far, apart from the pilots, of course.
ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. And more on that, of course, as we get it. All right. Eleni, thank you.
Stay with CNN. We continue to follow this breaking news out of the region. More after this break.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:35:00]
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ANDERSON: All right. Returning to our top story this hour, Israeli officials say a potential hijacking was thwarted on a Flydubai flight
heading from Dubai to Tel Aviv earlier today, local time.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking about the diverted flight that was bound for Israel, of course, said it appears one of the
pilots stabbed the other and tried to crash the plane.
Well, there's a fairly unique diplomatic situation involved here, given Israel and Saudi Arabia, of course, where the plane landed, do not have
formal diplomatic channels.
Joining me now is Firas Maksad, the managing director for Middle East at Eurasia Group, joining us live from Washington.
And we are still piecing together the details here and more to come. And we are, you know, being very mindful about not speculating on exactly what
happened. But it does appear to be getting clearer.
And what is absolutely not in doubt is it does seem like this was an absolute miracle, firas, that the passengers, over 170 of them and many
kids on board, landed safely, having, you know, been on a flight which dropped some 15,000 feet in some two minutes.
When you heard about this flight, this incident, what were you -- what went through your mind?
FIRAS MAKSAD, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA MANAGING DIRECTOR, EURASIA GROUP: Well, Becky, this is clearly not just a dramatic security incident.
It is also a diplomatic and potentially political development between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
The two countries, as you mentioned, do not have diplomatic relations. It is a critical moment in the Middle East, where we have an ongoing conflict
and where, perhaps the war with Iran, the American-Israeli war with Iran right now, is on pause. It's on hold as the diplomatic efforts play out.
But Yemen is increasingly a place where there is a confluence, a convergence of interests between Saudi Arabia and Israel to see the Iran-
backed Houthis cut down to size.
The Houthis, having attacked both Israel and Saudi Arabia recently. So there's a lot of questioning taking place as to whether we can see that
convergence of interests mean that the Saudis and the Israelis can come together in a joint effort over Yemen.
[10:40:08]
And now this plane incident is adding on to that debate. From the Saudi perspective, there's reasons to pause and not want to be seen as being
working too closely with the Israelis.
Certainly Saudi public opinion, Islamic, Arab public opinion continues to be quite inflamed over what happened in Gaza, the killing of some 40,000-
plus Palestinians in that war.
Israeli prime minister Bibi Netanyahu has a different political calculation. And we heard him refer to that in his speech, the fact that,
as he mentioned, he is reportedly in touch with the authorities in Saudi Arabia.
His interest is to portray himself as a statesman who is enjoying good relations with the GCC, despite the war and despite what happened in Gaza.
And I suspect he will try to use that incident, politicize that incident, for political and electoral gain, given the Israeli elections ahead
ANDERSON: Let's be quite clear, we won't have the answers to quite a lot of questions likely for some hours now. I mean, you know, that everyone
involved, every country involved will be looking at this, as to whether this was just a -- you know, was this a pilot-to-pilot dispute or was this
officially a terror attack attempt?
Is it related to or instigated by what is going on in this region currently?
And if so, you know, was Tel Aviv a target or was the target elsewhere?
All of these questions will be in play, of course, over the hours to come. I want to sort of, to a degree, part what happened, because I do want to
talk about what's been going on in the region.
Not least when Scott Bessent recently effectively grounded all Iranian airlines through these swingeing sanctions that are part of the operation
by the U.S. to really squeeze the Iranian economy.
I mean, the Iranians said, you know, no flights nor airports nor other infrastructure will be safe if this continues effectively, I don't want to
suggest that this is, you know, by anything but a coincidence at this point.
But the rhetoric in region, of course, is still very bombastic. And we have spent what, you know, another 10 days trying to work out whether we are any
closer to a solution at this point. So while we've been talking about this very specific incident, I do want to lean into and get your current
thoughts and assessment of where we are at in region.
MAKSAD: The regional backdrop is absolutely important to put this incident in context. Perhaps my earlier comments focused on the Saudi-Israeli
dimension to this but you're absolutely right to point out that there is a broader dimension here.
And it includes the UAE, Iran and the U.S. The U.S. economic pressure campaign against Iran has been highly effective to date. The switch from
the kinetic focus, what used to be Operation Epic Fury, into what they are now calling Operation Economic Outcast.
The UAE -- and given that this is a Flydubai flight is central to that pressure campaign because, according to the U.S. Treasury and Secretary of
Treasury himself, so much of Iranian commercial and financial activities in the past had transacted through the UAE and specifically through Dubai.
And then you have that these comments from these threats, I should say, from Iranian officials targeting or specifying that, if their flights are
grounded, then other flights in the region will also be impacted. It is early hours.
ANDERSON: Yes.
MAKSAD: We do not want to speculate but I think that dimension is an important one to keep in mind.
ANDERSON: Yes. And again, we don't want to directly link the two. There is, you know, a lot of detail to be brought in and uncovered at this point.
But this context, you know, the wider context is really important at this point.
Talking about the UAE, I haven't had you on the show since we had a confirmation that the Israeli prime minister was here on Sunday. There's
been very little detail from the UAE in confirming that he was here.
What do you make of that trip?
[10:45:00]
And as you read the readouts and statements from the trip, certainly from the Israelis, what do you understand to be the priorities for discussion?
MAKSAD: Information around that visit continues to be very scarce. Clearly it is the interest of the prime minister ahead of elections to try and
publicize the fact that, as he is reporting, he has been to the UAE.
The UAE and others in the region always more circumspect, always more guarded in their publicizing their interactions with the Israelis. But,
Becky, we are -- wars usually proceed in several phases. And there are inflection points along the way.
And we are at one such inflection point, where the war in Iran has -- is on hold, at least the kinetic dimension of the war on Iran -- in favor of the
economic pressure campaign.
And as diplomacy continues to play out -- we had the Iranian foreign minister on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in UNGA in New York,
conducting the meetings, reportedly even one with the Americans on this. So they are continuing diplomatic efforts.
But right now, it's the war in Yemen that is going to be center stage in the weeks ahead. And there is quite a bit of real deliberation about what
might unfold, the impact of a potential Saudi offensive and Houthi reaction to that on energy flows in the region and regional security.
Israel has a history with the Houthis. And I think part of these deliberations that are setting the stage for what is a coming campaign in
Yemen includes the Israeli prime minister's meeting, perhaps if they did, in fact, take place in the UAE.
And the U.S., I should say the U.S. military in the Middle East, CENTCOM, is keen on playing a central role in not only enabling but also integrating
its partners and allies when it comes to Yemen and other regional threats.
ANDERSON: Yes, a war in Yemen that has been raging for years, that, you know, there's been no conclusive settlement to that. It has been, of
course, somewhat overshadowed by the last seven or eight months, now very much back in focus.
And you make a very good point about how that is sort of, you know, squarely, you know, in play as we look at how this conflict, which was very
specifically sort of focused on Iran by the U.S. and Israel has really played out around the region.
It'll be fascinating to see what -- how this develops. Always good to have you on. Thank you very much indeed, Firas, very much appreciate your
insight and analysis today, not least on what is our breaking news.
As we continue to source information on exactly what went on and why on a Flydubai flight from Dubai, bound for Tel Aviv earlier on today, which has
landed in Saudi after an altercation between the pilots. The Israelis now talking about this as a potential terror attack. More as we get it. We'll
take a very short break. Back after this.
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[10:50:00]
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ANDERSON: Well, our top story this hour: an attempted terror attack and hijacking of an airplane narrowly prevented. That is how two Israeli
sources describe what happened on board a flight from Dubai bound for Tel Aviv.
Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says one of the pilots appeared to try to crash the plane after stabbing the other. Passengers say
the copilot eventually restrained by passengers.
We do have the moment that that plane touched down. Have a look at this.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): And you can hear the passengers cheering as they finally land safely. But earlier it was clearly a very scary scene on this
plane. You see what appears to be a man in what appears to be a bloody shirt.
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ANDERSON: And another dramatic video has emerged from inside the plane, taken just after the would-be attacker was subdued. You can hear this
passenger asking for help from anyone on the ground who can hear him. Watch this.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We are here on the plane right now. We have taken control of the terrorists. We are about to land. Anyone
who hears me, we need help.
We are landing in Tabuk, probably in the Saudi Arabia area, an unknown and unfamiliar area. Everyone on the plane is healthy and whole except for the
pilot. We need help.
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ANDERSON: The Israeli prime minister spoke about the diverted Flydubai flight that was bound for Israel and described how things unfolded on
board.
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NETANYAHU (through translator): I spoke with one of the Israeli passengers. He told me that the plane entered a tailspin and began to dive.
He told me that, against all odds, he managed to break into the cockpit, along with one of the crew members. And together they neutralized the
stabbing pilot while he was trying to sabotage the plane systems.
Additional flight crew on board entered the cockpit and managed to stabilize the aircraft. I salute those heroes who showed exceptional
resourcefulness and courage. They saved many lives. They prevented a heavy disaster.
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ANDERSON: Well, earlier, CNN transportation analyst Mary Schiavo weighed in on what was this terrifying incident.
[10:55:05]
Have a listen.
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SCHIAVO: Literally, just imagine the pilot pushing the controls full forward, because that's what this dive is. They would have felt G-forces.
This would have quite possibly been a dive or a very rapid descent that was outside even the performance parameters of the plane.
So this plane will have to be checked very carefully. But passengers could have gone flying up, you know, from their seats if they weren't belted in.
Service carts, et cetera, would have been flying around the cabin.
But most importantly, at this point in the flight, they would have all realized this was not a normal part of the flight.
And then the second part of this, this is going to change probably worldwide, how people are looking at security right now because the whole
idea, the focus was on the passengers.
The security at the airports was check everything about the passengers, have, you know, preflight, you know, precheck, clear all these other things
to look at the passengers.
And at airports, crew had a different lane, often with what I think is less scrutiny, less, you know, they were had, you know, less impact on them
looking through their bags, et cetera.
This will obviously cause worldwide to people consider that and should there be changes made.
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ANDERSON: And more, of course, on this as we get it. That is it for this show, CONNECT THE WORLD. You can find me online @beckycnn on Instagram and
on X. Stay with us. "ONE WORLD" up next.
END
