Update: Passengers overcame co-pilot who tried to crash Israel-bound flydubai flight - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says

The co-pilot of a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv attempted to crash the aircraft after stabbing the pilot, before passengers intervened and restrained him while the plane diverted and landed safely in Saudi Arabia, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced.  

Describing the event as "a highly severe security incident," Netanyahu stated that Saudi authorities have taken the co-pilot into custody and are conducting an interrogation.  

The suspect, identified by an Israeli official as an Omani national, was arrested immediately after the aircraft touched down at Tabuk Regional Airport in north-western Saudi Arabia.  

"All passengers are out of harm's way," Netanyahu said in a video statement released by his office, noting that the passengers on board were predominantly Israeli citizens.  

According to accounts cited by the Israeli leadership, passengers and a crew member forced their way into the cockpit after the aircraft sharply lost altitude and entered a steep descent. Inside, they discovered the co-pilot allegedly attempting to override the plane's controls.  

"They saved many lives. They prevented a heavy disaster," Netanyahu said.

Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 indicated that flydubai flight FZ1073 experienced a sudden and sharp descent of nearly 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds as it crossed into Jordanian airspace.

During the emergency, the aircraft transmitted both general emergency signals (squawk 7700) and signals indicating unlawful interference (squawk 7500).  

Initial statements from Israeli officials emphasized that the emergency stemmed from a violent physical altercation inside the cockpit rather than a traditional external hijacking scenario. However, Israeli security authorities are treating the episode as an attempted terror attack.