FlyDubai flight bound for Israel faces attempted hijacking with axe
Based on · First reported
Sources
- A co‑pilot on a FlyDubai flight planned to kill the captain and crash the aircraft into Ben Gurion Airport’s terminal, using a kitchen axe to stab Indian captain Smit Mačchar, after which three Israeli passengers forced the co‑pilot out and tied him with charging cables; the incident was the first attempted hijacking of a flight bound for Israel in more than 20 years.
- During the struggle the autopilot failed and the aircraft descended more than 5,000 metres in about half a minute, while 174 Israelis, including 27 children, were on board.
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