Four US Citizens Aboard Israel-Bound Flydubai Flight Following Dramatic Cockpit Attack

Four American citizens who also hold Israeli nationality were among the passengers on board the Israel-bound Flydubai flight on Wednesday, according to two US officials.

Passengers have arrived safely in Israel on a replacement Flydubai flight after one pilot allegedly stabbed the other in the cockpit and the plane plunged thousands of feet.

Assaf Rajuan, one of the passengers who stormed the cockpit to stop the attack, speaks to a scrum of television reporters at Ben Gurion Airport on September 30 in Tzafria, Israel. The person who attacked the Indian pilot on board was “neutralized” very quickly by a group of passengers and flight crew, according to passenger Assaf Rajuan. Erik Marmor/Getty Images

The plane then made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he’d spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the suspected hijacking attempt.

Nizar Ahmed October 4, 2026