Writer, broadcaster, commentator https://nitter.cf/t.co/mw8xenbr5s
London, England
Joined January 2011
- Tweets3.1K
- Following1.3K
- Followers58K
- Likes731
'brawl between pilots'.
Like calling 9/11 a brawl between a plane and a building.
From seconds into this we knew it was a suspected terror attack.
Thank goodness for BBC Verify £3.3 million budget and 61 staff, or we would never have figured this out!
"Fruitful interfaith dialogue requires more honesty, not less. If a verse says something disturbing, quote the whole verse. If the corpus of major Qur’anic commentaries, modern and classical, contains competing interpretations, show them, and summarize their consensus, accurately. If the historical record is ugly, acknowledge it."
Direct and to the point, from @andrewbostom
andrewbostom.net/2026/09/qur…
This is a very BBC headline for a unsuccessful suspected suicide homicide terror attack hijacking.
Any other suggestions for an even more BBC headline?
I'll start with 'meal service interrupted on flydubai flight'.
A man on board the flight believed to have been hijacked by the co-pilot, flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv, with his eye witness account. The plane landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, thanks an intervention by the passenger and an alternate crew who were being transported on board.
GRAPHIC video of the stabbed pilot on board the Dubai to Tel Aviv flight which appears to have been hijacked by the co-pilot. All detailsare as yet unconfirmed officially, but it seems clear a potentially massive disaster was averted today thanks to the bravery of Israeli passengers and members of the plane's crew.
Meanwhile, here’s a wedding in Gaza from a few days ago. Demilitarisation going well, then!
The groom is Abdullah al-Hour, son of Abu Nasim, whose family is affiliated with the Fatah movement. This took place in Nuseirat.
Footage from the plane landing in Saudi Arabia: Passengers who have survived a suspected hijacking and pilot suicide homicide attack singing "Am Yisrael Chai" the people of Israel live, a famous and powerful rallying cry for Jewish resilience.
Israel has not ruled out the possibility that the incident aboard the flydubai flight was a terrorist attack.
There are reports that the co-pilot repeatedly stabbed the captain after the attack began. Crew members and passengers reportedly managed to break into the cockpit and overpower the attacker.
A senior Israeli official says an “extremely serious disaster was averted”, with indications reportedly mounting that the co-pilot intended to seize control of the aircraft and crash it with those on board. The suspect is now being questioned, and authorities are investigating reports that he is from one of the Gulf states.
According to Israeli N12’s Nir Dvori, all flydubai flights arriving at Ben Gurion Airport are currently being diverted to a designated area for Israeli security inspections, as authorities investigate whether this could be part of a broader security incident.
Passengers remain aboard the aircraft awaiting a replacement plane. Some reportedly have bloodstained shirts after helping bring the situation under control.
More details are now emerging, although much of what happened remains under investigation.
According to initial reports, one pilot stabbed the other and then attempted to take control of the aircraft. Israeli officials are reportedly investigating the possibility that he intended to crash the plane.
A struggle is said to have broken out on board, with Israeli passengers and additional members of the flight crew reportedly helping to overpower the suspected attacker. During the incident, the aircraft is reported to have plunged around 4,000 metres.
An Israeli official has said that a major disaster was averted.
The IDF Chief of Staff has reportedly held consultations with the heads of the Shin Bet and Mossad, while Israeli authorities investigate the incident and prepare for a range of possible scenarios.
El Al has offered to send a rescue flight to bring the passengers to Israel which would be a first in Saudi Arabia. However it is currently likely the Israeli airforce will do this.
Update on this morning’s aviation security alert on the flight heading for Israel from Dubai.
It has now landed in Saudi Arabia. Around 180 passengers. All thought to be safe.
Authorities are investigating whether one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot.
Another plane is expected to be sent from Dubai to Saudi Arabia to pick up the passengers and continue on to Israel.
According to data from flight-tracking apps, the aircraft descended sharply by about 15,000 feet in one minute.
The possibility that one pilot tried to kill himself and bring the plane down with him is now being investigated. Reports from some on board suggest the other pilot and Israeli passengers on board helped to bring the situation under control.
Israeli Prime Minister’s Office says that “Prime Minister Netanyahu held consultations on the matter and monitored developments.”
“The situation is under control, and all measures are now being taken to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel.”
A flydubai flight activated an emergency code used to signal unlawful interference with the flight. No contact was made since. It was flying from Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv and was diverted to Saudi Arabia amid fears of a hijacking.
Israeli Air Force jets were scrambled.
There are around 180 passengers on the plane.
Israeli PM has held a security meeting with the Defense Minister
This incident appears to be over and not to have been a hijacking. Thank goodness.
This was the route of the flight.
It is now thought the emergency signal was triggered by a fight inside the cockpit. The plane has now landed.
There is suspicion that there wad violence on board the plane, rather than a full on security-related incident. Still unknown. New assessment says it is probably not a kidnapping
The plane has now reappeared on flight raiders. Made contact with Saudi Arabia and is believed to be preparing to land there.