Jerusalem (EFE).- Approximately the 180 Israeli passengers involved in a violent altercation on a Flydubai flight on Wednesday morning, forcing the plane to land in Saudi Arabia, arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.
According to the Flightradar24 tracking app, the aircraft landed at Ben Gurion around 6:35 pm local time, as shown live on Israel’s Channel 12.
Dozens of people waving Israeli flags and chanting “The people of Israel live” awaited the passengers at the airport entrance.
The plane departed from Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where the passengers were taken after their Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing following the altercation.
The flight was interrupted when one pilot stabbed another, causing the plane to plummet several kilometers in a matter of minutes. Other passengers and crew members then subdued the attacker and stabilized the aircraft.
Videos shared by the passengers with the local press show them applauding and chanting after a safe landing.
As the organization had previously announced in a statement, paramedic teams from the Red Star of David emergency service were waiting for the passengers at the airport.
Family members and friends were also present, some of whom were waiting for their loved ones with balloons or Israeli flags, as seen in Channel 12’s live broadcast.
As of Wednesday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog emphasized the alliance between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the fight against «terrorism.»
«The United Arab Emirates is fighting terrorism alongside us and other nations in the region. We must not allow terrorism to destabilize the region, and we must prevent any attempt to undermine stability and peace,» Herzog said in a video message recorded in the occupied West Bank, where he met with troops.
«We have endured some very difficult hours following a terrifying and alarming terrorist attack on an airplane. Thank God, everyone is being rescued, and I want to thank the heroes on board,» the president added. Like other senior Israeli officials, he characterized the incident as a «terrorist attack.»
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz suggested that the altercation in the cockpit was an attempt to crash the plane with all passengers on board. Katz also labeled it “jihadist terrorism.”
In a statement, Flydubai confirmed the incident in the cockpit but asked that people “refrain from early speculation” until the cause of the incident is clarified.EFE
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