Israel Was Ready To Shoot Down Flydubai Jet if It Kept Course for Tel Aviv: Report

Israel scrambled fighter jets and stood ready to shoot down a Flydubai passenger plane had it pressed on towards Tel Aviv after a cockpit stabbing attack, CBS News reported.

Flight 1073 was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30 when co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar and sought to gain control of the aircraft, according to the report.

The jet lost 16,000 feet of altitude in just over 30 seconds, sparking fears in Israel that the incident could amount to a hijacking or an attack directed at the country.

Israeli Air Force personnel tried to reach the cockpit by radio but received no answer. A pre-set emergency system was engaged, a command centre was formed and Israeli airspace was sealed while fighters were scrambled.

THE SHOOT-DOWN PLAN

If the plane had held its course for Tel Aviv, Israeli fighter pilots were prepared to close the distance and try to establish visual contact with the occupants of the cockpit, the report said. The purpose would have been to decide whether a hijacking had occurred and to clarify the nature of the crisis.

CBS said confirmation of a hijacking combined with silence from the attackers could have led to the matter being referred to Israel's Defence Minister and Prime Minister. Authority to order the aircraft brought down would ultimately have rested with the Prime Minister.

Israeli sources told CBS that if a hijacking had succeeded and the plane had kept heading for Israel, authorities were confident they could have intercepted it before it reached Tel Aviv. That would have averted a possible strike on vulnerable sites, including Ben Gurion Airport and the Azrieli Centre.

HOW IT ENDED

The Israeli jets were withdrawn after officials established that the aircraft had turned towards Saudi Arabia and was preparing for an emergency landing. Saudi Arabia also scrambled fighter jets, CBS reported.

The crisis ended when Machchhar, despite severe injuries from a crash axe attack, managed to unlock the cockpit door. Passengers then subdued al-Hammami, and two off-duty pilots travelling on the flight took command and diverted the aircraft to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE FLIGHT

The aircraft was a Boeing 737 MAX carrying 174 people. It landed in Tabuk nearly four hours after takeoff, where emergency medical staff and security officials were waiting. The Washington Post reported that the plane lost half its altitude in less than two minutes before the other crew members took control.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the attack as an apparent attempt to crash the plane. He credited Machchhar with saving the lives of 174 people, "including Israeli citizens and other nationals," and told CNN the pilot "managed to prevent a 9/11 disaster."

An Israeli passenger, Tzvika Manes, told Israel's Channel 12 that he saw Machchhar fall out of the cockpit with the co-pilot "on top of him, stabbing him," Al Jazeera reported.

A passenger who spoke to CNN said he ran towards the cockpit and found the attacker on the floor, stabbing the captain.

WHAT FLYDUBAI AND SAUDI ARABIA SAID

Flydubai said an "altercation" had occurred on the flight deck and that the motives were unknown, without mentioning a stabbing. It said the plane landed safely and that all passengers were secure.

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry said initial investigations, carried out with a UAE security team, showed that the co-pilot assaulted the pilot and that both were injured. A replacement Flydubai aircraft later flew the passengers on to Israel. Four US citizens were among those on board.

WHO IS CAPTAIN SMIT MACHCHHAR?

Machchhar is an Indian national. He once planned to join his family's textile business before being bitten by the "aviation bug." The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said he was admitted to a hospital in Tabuk and was "reported to be in stable condition." Both Israeli and Indian leaders have hailed him as a hero.

The reasons for the attack have not been established. Neither Flydubai nor Saudi Arabia has given a motive for the co-pilot's actions, and reports differ on some details, including how quickly the plane lost altitude.

With inputs from ANI