Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that the incident aboard a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was an attempted jihadist terror attack, thwarted by Israeli passengers who broke into the cockpit and overpowered the attacker.
"The serious incident on the FlyDubai plane was an attempted jihadist terror attack, which was foiled only thanks to the heroism of several Israeli passengers who broke into the cockpit, took control of the terrorist and, with their own hands, returned control of the plane to another team of pilots who were present there," Katz said in a statement.
"According to the initial information we have, the terrorist's intention was one: to crash the plane with all its passengers," he said.
It was one of the most senior official Israeli confirmation to date that the incident was a terror attack. The Omani co-pilot is suspected of stabbing the Emirati captain and trying to bring down the Boeing 737 MAX 8, which was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children. The plane plunged about 18,000 feet in under two minutes before landing safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Both pilots were hospitalized with injuries, according to Tabuk Airport.
Katz also used the statement to take aim at critics of the government's recent security warnings. "When the prime minister and I issue intelligence-based security warnings and alerts, everyone, both our enemies from outside and the uninformed 'formers' from within, should listen and take them seriously," he said.
"Every warning has a number of addresses and goals," Katz added. "And most importantly, the warnings never come at the expense of the proactive and offensive activity that we are leading together with the IDF against every threat, and are not a substitute for it."
The remarks appeared to refer to recent claims by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of indications of an attack plot by "enemies" ahead of the October 27 election, which opposition leader Yair Lapid derided after being briefed, according to the Times of Israel. Maariv reported that IDF officials had said there was "no focused warning."
The passengers, who have been stranded in Tabuk since the morning, are due to be flown home on a replacement flydubai plane. Its takeoff has been delayed while the Mossad vets the names of its crew, according to Channel 12's Amit Segal.
