Americans Confirmed On Hijacked Flight As Trump Reacts To Israel’s Near-9/11

Four Americans were on board a flydubai plane bound for Tel Aviv from Dubai when a violent episode in the cockpit sent it into a steep descent of nearly 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds, Fox News reported. The jet, carrying 174 passengers, eventually landed in Saudi Arabia. Israeli officials classified the episode as terrorism. The Omani co-pilot, suspected of stabbing the captain and trying to bring the aircraft down, was subdued by passengers and crew and taken into custody, according to Daily Wire.

President Donald Trump discussed the episode in the Oval Office, speculating that the co-pilot was either a terrorist or mentally unhinged and describing the injured captain as still in grave condition. He credited the captain with managing to get the cockpit door open. Citing Netanyahu, Trump also lauded a plumber aboard who had never piloted anything, saying the man pulled the attacker away and leveled the jet out before disaster.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the inquiry continues and that reports had been inconsistent early on. Israel scrambled fighter jets when a hijacking was first feared, and Netanyahu met with Defense Minister Israel Katz as the plane drifted off course. Everyone aboard survived.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Daily Wire’s reporting. Read the full story at Daily Wire →