A passenger on the diverted Flydubai flight has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu how he and others helped stop the cockpit attack.
The man, who was greeted by the prime minister at the Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, explained how he helped pin the alleged attacker to the ground and pull the plane’s controls backwards to stop it nosediving.
The plane was diverted to Saudi Arabia after plummeting 17,000ft in less than two minutes.
Passengers have since safely landed in Tel Aviv after a replacement Flydubai plane transported them to their destination.
Earlier, a passenger reported “terrible screams throughout the plane” before “three to five guys burst into the cockpit” and subdued the attacker.
Another passenger said “we took control of the flight” from “an assailant with a knife” – meanwhile, two other pilots, sitting at the back, reportedly came forward to land the plane.
Netanyahu says the pilot who launched the attack has been arrested and is being questioned by Saudi authorities.