Plane passengers saved thanks to girl, 6

By the Editorial Team · Friday, October 2, 2026

A co-pilot aboard a Boeing 737 from Dubai to Tel Aviv attacked the pilot mid-flight, leading passengers to intervene and restrain him after the plane sharply descended. The co-pilot, identified as a radicalized Omani national, was detained following the safe emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, prompting investigations into security protocols and his motives.

A six-year-old girl’s timely request to use the lavatory helped prevent a potential in-flight catastrophe aboard a Boeing 737 traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday. The incident unfolded when the plane’s co-pilot allegedly launched an attack on the pilot mid-flight, prompting a violent struggle in the cockpit.

Nina Manes’s mother, Tali, was accompanying her daughter to the lavatory when she heard shouting from the cockpit. Upon investigating, she witnessed the co-pilot stabbing the pilot, who then collapsed through the cockpit door. “There was blood all over the cockpit and very, very sharp fighting moves,” Tali Manes told Israeli Channel 12. She immediately alerted the cabin crew, though other passengers initially struggled to grasp the severity of the situation.

Passengers, including Manes’s husband, Zvika, intervened to restrain the co-pilot after the aircraft suddenly dropped from 34,000 feet to roughly 15,000 feet during the struggle. Zvika Manes recalled the distress from his daughters as the plane nosedived. “The shrieks of my daughters when the plane nose-dived are still with me. They said, ‘Dad we don’t want to die.’ Their cries were the triggers that caused me to run inside the cockpit,” he said.

Another passenger who assisted in subduing the co-pilot, Assaf Rajoun, described acting on instinct, focusing solely on survival rather than fear or consequences. “In the moment you’re just trying to survive, you don’t think about what you did or what it means, you go and do what you can — you do it in a way that you don’t even feel the fear. Only now I’m realising it,” he said.

Israeli authorities confirmed that the co-pilot, an Omani national whose identity has not been disclosed, had been radicalized and posted antisemitic content on social media. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stated that the co-pilot exhibited suicidal tendencies during the incident, reportedly shouting “kill me, kill me” after being restrained.

The flight carried 174 passengers, including 166 Israeli nationals. Following the episode, the aircraft safely landed in Saudi Arabia, where the co-pilot was taken into custody. Investigations into the motives and security measures surrounding the event remain ongoing.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.