Jakarta, ThedailyID — US President Donald Trump has commented on the Flydubai incident that forced a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Trump said he received information about the incident directly from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He said the two leaders spoke at length after the emergency on Wednesday, September 30.
Trump suggested that the copilot may have been a terrorist or acted irrationally. He said the copilot allegedly attacked the pilot during the flight.
“I think this is an extraordinary story,” Trump told reporters at the White House, according to Anadolu Agency.
“I had a long conversation with Bibi Netanyahu about this incident. It appears the copilot may have been a terrorist, or perhaps a crazy person, and he stabbed the pilot,” Trump said.
The Flydubai aircraft later diverted and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The passengers then continued their journey to Israel on a replacement aircraft.
Trump also shared an account involving an Israeli passenger who was reportedly a plumber. According to Trump, the passenger had no experience flying an aircraft but entered the cockpit after hearing the commotion.
Trump said the passenger then helped stabilize the plane after seeing the situation inside the cockpit.
“Although he had never flown a plane, he took the controls, raised them, and stabilized the plane before it crashed,” Trump said.
However, Trump stressed that he could not confirm every detail of the story. He said the account came from Netanyahu.
“That’s the story I heard. I don’t know if it’s true, but that’s the story I got from BB,” Trump said, referring to Netanyahu.
Trump also said Netanyahu told him the passenger knew what to do because he often watched the television program Air Disasters.
“When asked why he did it, he said, ‘He watches the Air Disasters show,’” Trump said.
Flydubai has confirmed that an incident occurred inside the cockpit. The incident triggered a hijacking code before the aircraft diverted to Saudi Arabia.
The airline said the motive behind the confrontation remains unknown. It is also being investigated by the relevant authorities.
