Disaster averted after violent hijacking attempt aboard commercial flight bound for Tel Aviv

WBUR

Published September 30, 2026 at 12:02 PM EDT

A FlyDubai flight carrying around 180 passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia early on Wednesday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed his co-pilot and tried to crash the plane.

Here & Now‘s Indira Lakshmanan speaks with NPR international correspondent Aya Batrawy, who is on the ground in Saudi Arabia.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Related Content

Greetings from Syria, where time seems to melt as a glassmaker braves scorching temps

Emily Feng

As a Syrian glassmaker created his wares in Damascus, watching his craft reminded this reporter to slow down and enjoy the moment.
Police questioning can shape a sexual assault case. Their approach is often wrong

Jaclyn Diaz

The Cornell lawsuit filed by a woman alleging a brutal rape raises questions on how police handle such cases. The majority of police lack adequate training on trauma-informed approaches, experts say.
Trump officials changed forms for overseas voters amid a GOP push to restrict voting

Hansi Lo Wang

The Pentagon made last-minute changes to forms that many overseas U.S. citizens use for absentee voting, removing a category of citizens that Republicans have been pushing to block from voting.
What can we expect with this year’s record-breaking El Niño?

The rapidly emerging El Niño in the Pacific has already tied for the hottest since records began 150 years ago — and it hasn’t even peaked yet.
ICE is detaining a record number of pregnant women. Many say they lack medical care

The reporting also found that ICE has lost track of the number of miscarriages happening in custody.

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.