00:00Good evening, you're watching NewsTrack with me, Mario Shakil.
00:03A routine Dubai to Tel Aviv flight turned into a terrifying mid-air emergency.
00:10Fly Dubai flight FZ-1073 carrying around 180 people was cruising at 34,000 feet
00:19when a violent confrontation reportedly broke out between the two pilots.
00:24The aircraft transmitted the 7500 code, signalling possible unlawful interference
00:32and then plunged around 14,000 feet in just 30 seconds.
00:36The flight was diverted to Saudi Arabia's Tabuk, where it landed safely.
00:42The captain of the aircraft, Smith Makaker, helped in ensuring safe landing of the flight.
00:52He is an Indian national of Gujarati origin.
00:56Smith joined Fly Dubai as a direct entry captain in June 2022
01:01after spending nearly 11 years with SpiceJet.
01:05A Boeing 737 fleet specialist, he has also focused on safety and compliance
01:10and has mentored fellow pilots.
01:13He holds a degree in business administration from Wellinger Institute of Management.
01:17But the incident has taken a more serious turn.
01:21Israel has called it a jihadist terror attack,
01:26alleging that the co-pilot intended to crash the aircraft.
01:30In fact, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has also said
01:34that the pilot apparently tried to crash the plane.
01:38The claims remain under investigation.
01:42Breaking news coming in now that the rescue flight carrying Israeli passengers
01:46has now landed in Tel Aviv.
01:49The visuals now on your television screens will show how the passengers are elated
01:57after landing home safely.
02:03Those are the visuals coming in when the plane landed,
02:07the Fly Dubai aircraft landing.
02:10And the passengers now certainly feeling safe.
02:15This is the rescue flight.
02:17Rescue flight, I beg your pardon, not fly Dubai.
02:20Rescue flight, which is carrying Israeli passengers,
02:23which has now landed in Tel Aviv.
02:24And the visuals certainly show that the passengers are relieved to return home.
02:30Joining me now on the show is Sharon Haskell,
02:33Chairwoman of Israel First Party.
02:36Ms. Haskell, I appreciate your time.
02:38Thank you for speaking to India today.
02:40Lots of questions that is there on everybody's mind.
02:43What really happened?
02:45Can you take us through the flight as Israel understands it?
02:50Where did it begin?
02:51Who was in the cockpit?
02:53How did the stabbing unfold?
02:55Which parts are coming from the Israeli sources?
02:58And also what you have picked up from the passengers' accounts?
03:06So right now everything is under investigation.
03:10And throughout this event we got a mix of messages,
03:13whether it is some from the passengers, some from the media.
03:17And there was even some fake news that people were trying to push through it.
03:21I can tell you that right now the terrorist is under investigation in Saudi Arabia.
03:30The flight just landed, you know, now in Israel.
03:34There was a rescuing flight of Fly Dubai that picked up all the passengers from Arabia, Saudi to Israel.
03:47And it just landed safely as we speak right now.
03:51Here in Israel, this is a huge relief because we understand this flight could have been a 9-11 style
04:01terrorist attack here in Israel.
04:03The terrorists from our sources, we understand, wanted to crush this airplane.
04:12And so there's huge concerns.
04:15Now our authority and security forces are investigating the event right now.
04:22And I really hope that in the next 24 hours, we'll be able to reach some more information to clear
04:28that.
04:29Ms. Haskal, you are saying that this could have been 9-11 like terror attack.
04:34Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has described this, to quote him, as a highly severe security incident.
04:41And that the officials there have called it an attempted terror attack.
04:45What is the assessment based on and what will the investigation, which has begun, reveal further?
04:56So as, you know, some information was revealed, we understand the situation.
05:05This is not just a random case that has just happened.
05:10We know of different, you know, terrorist style attempts of, you know, executing a terrorist action.
05:22But most of the security measures after 9-11, which was put in place, were able to prevent that from
05:31people boarding flights with explosives, with weapons.
05:36The fact that this terrorist act was done by, you know, a crew member of a flight company.
05:46And it doesn't matter whether this was a pilot or whether this would have been a flight.
05:55I think that some of the aviation rules now in regards to stuff that could just clear, you know, in
06:03a very simple and easy step so that they can go back and forth through the gates.
06:10I think things are going to change now in order to put measures to make sure that something like that
06:16won't happen again.
06:19The co-pilot here is in Saudi custody.
06:23How is Israel then coordinating with Riyadh?
06:27And what, should I say, information do you expect to receive from the Saudi investigation?
06:33And as you said rightly, also the UAE investigation, which is ongoing.
06:40Well, I think it's not just a Saudi investigation, but also the investigation in the UAE.
06:46That's right.
06:46The UAE is taking very strong measures, you know, in regards to security, stability, and peace in their country.
06:55This is a company's airplane, okay?
06:59It was cleared there.
07:01And so I'm sure they'll take it at the outmost seriousness and severity, as we know them to do, you
07:12know.
07:13And we understand he's now under the Saudi investigations.
07:18My assessment is that probably the UAE will request, you know, this terrorist to be investigated in the UAE and
07:31probably will be sentenced in the UAE.
07:35But our forces, security and intelligence forces, have sort of their own measures and ways to collect information.
07:44And one of the most important things to investigate right now is whether this was an individual who planned a
07:52terrorist attack or whether this is part of a wider operation of a big terrorist organization who wanted to execute
08:02a terrorist act against Israel.
08:05And now we'll change things dramatically, you know, of what's going to be the outcome of this investigation.
08:14Ms. Askel, my last question would be, of course, about motive.
08:20Some reports are suggesting that the hijack code may have been triggered during an argument and that was not deliberate.
08:28How is Israel weighing the different possibilities and what would help settle them?
08:39Well, as I said, these things are under investigations right now, and we're waiting to hear a little bit more,
08:47you know, about what this investigation is going to come up with.
08:51We need to know that.
08:53But regardless, you know, pilots go through some of the most extreme measures of investigations and security in order to
09:03make sure things like that don't happen.
09:07This is a serious case that can really change the way aviation companies and airports all around the world conduct
09:16themselves and their security checks.
09:19So I reckon we should probably wait for the next 24 hours to understand that in depth.
09:26But that is extremely severe.
09:28We understand that the co-pilot from Oman was trying to crash the airplane straight after.
09:38And that the brave Indian smith pilot who was stabbed by him, even though he was severely injured, still attempting
09:50to pull people in the airplane.
09:54In fact, four brave Israelis, you know, have actually, you know, have actually, um, through the door in order to
10:03save the pilot.
10:05Yes.
10:06The attacker of the co-pilot.
10:09So, you know, that was incredible, let's say, many lives shows you some of the determination and the sacrifice that
10:20the Israelis are willing to take upon their lives in order to save civilian lives and innocent lives.
10:30All right, Sharon Haskell, I appreciate your time.
10:33Thank you for joining us and sharing the view of what Israel is thinking at the moment.
10:40Remember, the Israeli prime minister has, in no uncertain terms, said that this is a security situation, that this is,
10:50you know, a highly severe security incident,
10:55is what Prime Minister Netanyahu has said, and the officials are calling it an attempted terror attack.
11:03Of course, the details are yet to emerge.
11:06Remember, there is an ongoing investigation.
11:08The rescue plane has landed in Tel Aviv with all those who have been rescued.
11:17What all happened today?
11:19Let's take a look at this report to understand what really unfolded in that Fly Dubai aircraft.
11:30A routine flight turned into a massive security scare after a violent confrontation, a hijack alert and a sudden sharp
11:38descent.
11:43Fly Dubai flight FZ-1073 bound for Tel Aviv left Dubai, but transmitted an hijack signal after two hours when
11:52it was close to the Saudi Jordan border,
11:55following a fight between the pilots.
11:57One pilot was allegedly stabbed by the other inside the cockpit.
12:01Shocking images from the flight show the stabbed pilot lying on the floor and bleeding profusely.
12:07You won't sleep?
12:08You, you said the plane.
12:16Online aircraft tracking portal Flight Radar 24 showed the plane rapidly descended nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30
12:25seconds before the first emergency signal.
12:32Minutes later, the flight transmitted another emergency signal that indicated a possible unlawful interference commonly associated with hijacking.
12:42The flight then diverted over Jordanian airspace towards Saudi Arabia and eventually landed at Tabuk Airport.
12:50and
12:50the clear
