Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayoun, with blood stains on his shirt, who was aboard a Flydubai aircraft that made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, is welcomed at the arrivals gate at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Tomer Appelbaum)

JERUSALEM - The identity and motive of the Omani copilot who stabbed his captain on a flight to Israel, causing the plane to plummet dangerously and forcing it to land in Saudi Arabia, remained unknown on Thursday as investigators raced to learn more.

Israeli passengers on the FlyDubai aircraft carrying 174 people from the United Arab Emirates to the Israeli city of Tel Aviv have described how the bloodied Indian captain managed to open the cockpit door to let them in before they grappled with the copilot and stabilized a descent so sharp that the plane's rudder was torn away.


 We felt helpless, suspended in midair, and I didn't know who to turn to. But it was all instinct to survive,  one of the responders, Asaf Rajuan, said in a new statement shared by Israel's presidency.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the copilot was arrested. Video shot inside the plane by Shota Musayev, a dentist who treated the captain, shows the copilot on his knees, with his hands tied behind his back.

Saudi and UAE authorities have said little publicly beyond confirming that investigations were underway. Saudi Arabia does not have formal diplomatic ties with Israel, a potential challenge to any joint investigation.

Israeli investigators will join the interrogation of the copilot

Capt. Smit Machchhar, widely praised as one of the heroes of the flight, was reportedly in stable condition, the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said overnight. The condition of the copilot was not clear.

In a CNN interview aired on Wednesday evening, Netanyahu said the attacker was an Omani national and was being interrogated in Saudi Arabia. Asked if there is any indication of Iranian involvement, Netanyahu told Fox News  it's too early to say.  The prime minister told CNN that Israel had received no s

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