Saudi and Israeli investigators continued working Friday to determine why a flydubai co-pilot allegedly stabbed the Indian captain on Flight FZ1073 and appeared to try to crash the Dubai–Tel Aviv Boeing 737, PBS NewsHour, Channel News Asia, and prior multi-outlet reporting agree. Passengers and crew subdued the attacker after a plunge of roughly 14,000 feet; the jet diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Captain Smit Machchhar was seriously wounded but helped unlock the cockpit; off-duty flydubai pilots aboard assisted the landing. Israeli officials identified the alleged attacker as an Omani national; Saudi authorities detained him.

Israel’s transport ministry suspended flydubai operations to Israel pending an inquiry into crew-nationality and security rules — Oman has no diplomatic ties with Israel. Flydubai has described an “altercation” and has not confirmed a terror motive. Netanyahu’s office hailed the captain as a hero and ordered security reviews on carriers serving Israel. Treat “attempted crash” and “terror plot” as official Israeli framing under investigation, not a court finding.

Backstory: Abraham Accords air links made Dubai–Tel Aviv a routine corridor; a cockpit stabbing on that route immediately raised vetting questions. Overnight finds no charging document or final CAA finding yet — aftermath/process card. Watch Saudi custody updates, Israeli Civil Aviation Authority findings, and any UAE carrier rule changes.

Passenger phone video and flight-tracking traces of the rapid descent remain part of the open record even as motive stays unproven. Abraham Accords carriers and Israeli security agencies are reviewing cockpit-access and third-country crew rules that were built for a warmer diplomatic climate. Families of travelers on the route will watch whether Tel Aviv–Dubai schedules normalize or stay suspended through the Saudi investigation.