Tel Aviv, Israel, October 6 (ANI): Israel scrambled fighter jets and stood ready to shoot down a Flydubai plane if it had continued toward Tel Aviv following 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 attempted to take control of the aircraft.
The jet then lost 16,000 feet of altitude in just over 30 seconds, sparking fears in Israel that the incident could have been a hijacking or an attack directed at the country.
Israeli Air Force personnel attempted to contact the cockpit by radio but received no response. A preset emergency system was activated, a command center was established and Israeli airspace was sealed while fighter jets were scrambled.
The jets were subsequently withdrawn after officials determined that the aircraft had turned toward Saudi Arabia and was preparing for an emergency landing.
Saudi Arabia also scrambled fighter jets, according to the CBS News report.
If the plane had maintained its course toward Tel Aviv, Israeli fighter pilots were prepared to close the distance and seek visual contact with those in the cockpit, the report said.
The purpose would have been to determine whether a hijacking had occurred and clarify the nature of the crisis.
CBS News reported that confirmation of a hijacking, combined with continued silence from those responsible, could have led to the matter being referred to Israel’s defense minister and prime minister.
Authority to order the aircraft shot down would ultimately have rested with the prime minister.
Israeli sources told CBS News that if a successful hijacking had occurred and the aircraft maintained its trajectory toward the country, authorities were confident it could have been intercepted before reaching Tel Aviv, potentially preventing an attack on vulnerable infrastructure, including Ben Gurion Airport and the Azrieli Center.
The high-stakes crisis ultimately ended when Machchhar, despite suffering severe injuries from an assault with a crash axe, succeeded in unlocking the cockpit door.
Passengers then subdued al-Hammami, and two off-duty pilots traveling on the flight took command before diverting the aircraft to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. (ANI)
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