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Millionaire Australian Couple Caught Up in Suspected Flydubai Hijacking

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Steven and Carol Moss, the former owners of Australia’s most expensive home, were reportedly aboard a FlyDubai jet caught up in a suspected hijacking attempt.

The Sydney couple were among 174 passengers on flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning, when an Omani man allegedly stabbed the co-pilot during the journey.

The attacker is said to have tried to seize control of the aircraft, sending it plunging 14,000 feet in just 29 seconds, before passengers and crew overpowered him.

Despite suffering serious stab wounds, Captain Smit Machchhar reportedly managed to open the cockpit door and allow passengers to enter and help restore order.

A British pilot who was travelling off duty is also believed to have been among those who assisted during the emergency.

The Australian reported that Steven and Carol Moss were on board the flight. The couple built their wealth through the Katies fashion chain, which was co-founded by Steven Moss’ late father, Sam Moss.

The pair, who previously sold their grand Scottish baronial-style mansion in Point Piper, on Sydney’s eastern waterfront, to tech billionaire Scott Farquhar for $130 million, are understood to be recovering from the frightening incident.

They did not comment when approached by The Australian.

Passengers and crew wrestled the man after he attacked his colleague and attempted to take control of the FlyDubai jet cruising at altitude from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning

Passengers and crew reportedly subdued the man after he attacked his colleague and attempted to take control of the FlyDubai aircraft travelling at altitude from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning

Steven and Carol Moss (above), the former owners of Australia's most expensive home, were onboard the flight

Steven and Carol Moss (above), former owners of Australia’s most expensive home, were reportedly passengers on the flight

The Mosses’ property dealings have become part of Sydney real estate folklore.

In late 2020, the couple sold Edgewater, a prestigious waterfront estate in Point Piper that had ranked among the city’s most valuable residences.

Steven Moss’ father, Sam, purchased the property in 1985 with Joe Brender, his business partner and fellow Katies co-founder, for $5 million.

Five years ago, a buyer paid $95 million for Edgewater, making it Australia’s second-most expensive residential sale at the time.

The couple later set a national record with the late-2022 sale of Uig Lodge, their Scottish baronial mansion, for $130 million.

That figure was surpassed in 2025 after Victoria’s Coonac and a neighbouring apartment block were reportedly sold in a combined deal worth $136.1 million.

However, the Mosses still hold the record for the highest price paid for a single residential house in Australia.

Previously described as “pillars” of Sydney’s Jewish community, Steven and Carol Moss have generally maintained a private life.

The plane (above) dropped 24,000ft in just 29 seconds before passengers regained control of the cockpit

The aircraft (above) reportedly lost 24,000 feet in just 29 seconds before passengers helped regain control of the cockpit

The couple have also received recognition for their philanthropic support of Jewish schools in Sydney and Tel Aviv University.

Their work carries on the legacy of Sam Moss, who received an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University in 1990.

Sam Moss, a respected businessman and holocaust survivor, died at 90 years old in 2016.

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull attended the opening of a library named in his honour in 2018 at Kesser Torah College, an Orthodox Jewish day school in east Sydney.

Steven Moss was seen talking to Turnbull alongside his brother, Meir Moss – president of the college’s board, at the event.

Many questions remain following the suspected hijacking attempt of FlyDubai flight FZ1073, including the hijacker’s identity and motive.

An anonymous colleague of the unnamed attacker told Israel’s Channel 16 the man was known for being a religious extremist.

Speaking in Hebrew, foreign editor and news anchor Yosef Yisrael read that the pilot was ‘someone characterised by very strange behaviour, especially around religious observances that were out of step with his surroundings [at Flydubai]’.

The Moss', while largely private, are widely recognised for their philanthropy in Sydney's Jewish community (pictured is Steven Moss, centre, with former prime minsiter Malcolm Turbull in 2018)

The Moss’, while largely private, are widely recognised for their philanthropy in Sydney’s Jewish community (pictured is Steven Moss, centre, with former prime minsiter Malcolm Turbull in 2018)

Mr Yisrael’s source said the attempted hijacker ‘used to pray a lot and would not shake hands with women’.

Saudi and UAE authorities have said little publicly beyond confirming that investigations were underway. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot was arrested.

In a CNN interview aired on Wednesday evening, Netanyahu said the attacker was an Omani national and was being interrogated in Saudi Arabia. 

He claimed the UAE´s president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, agreed to let Israel join the interrogation of the suspect.

More to come…

Cornell Accuser Told Police She Was 100% Sure She Was Raped

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A Cornell University alumna told investigators she was “100 percent” certain that seven fraternity members had gang-raped her in the weeks after the alleged assault.

The woman, identified in court documents only as Jane Doe, spoke with Cornell campus police on November 14—more than three weeks after the alleged attack at the university’s Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024.

According to a transcript obtained by CBS New York, Jane Doe told a campus police investigator that she had been drinking and taking drugs on the night in question. She also said parts of her memory were missing.

Even so, she said she could distinguish between the sexual activity that initially took place and what she alleged happened later that night.

Asked whether she had consented to the initial encounter, Jane Doe replied: “Yeah, as much as I can be, because again, I was super drunk when I got there… But I was pretty OK with all of this.”

“And then, of course, I was being hit at the same time,” she added.

She said she could not remember the end of the night, “where I was raped,” and did not know precisely how many men had sex with her.

However, when describing the alleged assault, Jane Doe told police: “I can say with 100 percent confidence I was raped.”

A Cornell University alumnae told campus police she was '100 percent' confident she was gang raped by seven fraternity members in the weeks following the allegedly horrific crime

A Cornell University alumna told campus police she was “100 percent” confident she had been gang-raped by seven fraternity members in the weeks following the alleged attack

The woman, only identified in court documents as Jane Doe, spoke with campus police on November 14. Students are pictured walking past Cornell Police headquarters on Wednesday

The woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, spoke with campus police on November 14. Students are pictured walking past Cornell Police headquarters on Wednesday

The transcript indicates that the campus police investigator questioned Jane Doe throughout the interview while she worked on a written account of the alleged incident.

Before asking what she had said when the men sought sex, the investigator warned that his questions might sound accusatory. He explained that he needed detailed answers to determine which charges could potentially be filed.

Jane Doe said she swatted away one man’s hand and told him she was uncomfortable. She also said she told another man “no” several times—or said she was too tired to have intercourse.

“Was it ‘no’ or was it ‘eh, I’m tired?’” the investigator asked.

“I think it’s ‘I’m tired,’” Jane Doe replied.

Later, the investigator asked whether she had become exhausted by the men’s questions and eventually yielded to them.

“Yes. It was coercion, yes,” she said, according to the transcript. She added that she had been “completely and totally incapacitated.”

The investigator documented her account, read it back to her and asked whether anything needed to be clarified or corrected, the CBS News report said.

On the second day of the interview, Jane Doe reviewed the revised six-page statement.

When she was preparing to sign it, the transcript shows her saying: “I’m very confident about this.”

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten previously said his decision not to bring charges against the seven alleged perpetrators was based on the contents of Jane Doe's signed 2024 statement

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten previously said his decision not to bring charges against the seven alleged perpetrators was based on the contents of Jane Doe’s signed 2024 statement

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has said his decision not to bring charges against the seven alleged perpetrators was based on the contents of the signed 2024 statement. 

‘She never says that she was drugged without her knowledge,’ he previously told ABC News. ‘She admits to taking drugs and alcohol voluntarily and with knowledge.’

‘She does not allege that she was forced to engage in any acts. She does not say that she was physically helpless or unconscious or incapacitated at any point during the time at the fraternity house.’

But he told CBS News on Tuesday he had never before seen the transcript showing what Jane Doe told campus police.

‘I’m going to follow up on this because this is news to me,’ he said. 

When he was then told that Jane Doe said she was confident she was raped, Van Houten replied: ‘That wasn’t information that I had, first of all. Second of all, that is a legal conclusion.

‘If she had said those words, we certainly would want to have explored that more,’ he noted. ‘Like I said, that wasn’t provided to me.’

The District Attorney said he will now seek a copy of the transcript and follow up with Cornell police.

‘Nobody knows this information about the transcript and that gives me something to really dig into because that changes the landscape for me.’

Cornell officials have since said its police department provided the results of the school’s investigation to the District Attorney’s Office as prosecutors reconsider whether to bring charges against the alleged rapists.

Doe alleged the attack took place at at the Chi Phi house, above, late on October 19, 2024. The fraternity has remained suspended from Cornell’s campus

The District Attorney’s decision to reopen the case came after Jane Doe filed a civil suit on September 16.

It alleges that Doe, then 20, arrived at the fraternity house on October 19, 2024, already heavily intoxicated following a night of drinking in Ithaca.

She alleges she was pressured to take ketamine and given marijuana and high-proof alcohol before being repeatedly sexually assaulted as additional fraternity members entered the room.

The complaint alleges seven men eventually participated and that Doe became ‘completely incapacitated.’ She says the ordeal continued until around 5.45am, when she lost consciousness.

It also claims that during the assault, one fraternity member posted to a ‘Chi Phi Actives’ Snapchat group that there was ‘free p***y’ upstairs, referring to Doe. 

‘Like you can walk in and whip it out,’ another member allegedly responded, according to a screenshot described in the filing. 

One of the men allegedly posted to the fraternity's active-members Snapchat group saying that there was 'free p***y' upstairs, referring to Doe, according to the filing, which included an image of the purported chat

One of the men allegedly posted to the fraternity’s active-members Snapchat group saying that there was ‘free p***y’ upstairs, referring to Doe, according to the filing, which included an image of the purported chat

Doe reported the allegations to Cornell University Police on November 8 after friends encouraged her to come forward, according to the lawsuit.

Cornell temporarily suspended the fraternity and seven students that day.

The university has since agreed to undertake an independent investigation into its handling of the matter, Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday.

She said in a post on social media that University President Michael Kotlikoff agreed to hire outside counsel to conduct the probe.

‘I want answers,’ the governor said. ‘I want to know what happened.’

University officials have previously said federal privacy laws prevent Cornell from revealing individual disciplinary outcomes.

But it noted that the Xi chapter of Chi Phi remains barred from campus.

Doe ultimately left Cornell and says she continues to struggle with anxiety, depression and sleepless nights nearly two years after the alleged attack

Doe ultimately left Cornell and says she continues to struggle with anxiety, depression and sleepless nights nearly two years after the alleged attack

The defendants have not all publicly responded to the allegations, but at least two have denied wrongdoing.

Jeremy Saland, an attorney for defendant Scott Kretzschmar, said the alleged incident ‘did not happen.’

‘At bottom, Scott never sexually assaulted or even touched the plaintiff in any way. Period,’ Saland said.

‘We look forward to confronting the plaintiff in a court of law for her selfishly false claims with both the evidence and her own words.’

Defendant Scott Norris separately denied participating in sexual activity or drug use, while acknowledging sending one message cited in the complaint.

‘I did not participate in any sexual activity or drug use,’ Norris said. ‘I thoughtlessly engaged in Snapchat and briefly stopped in the room where misconduct happened but not when it happened.’

For Doe, her attorney says the consequences have stretched far beyond the night at the center of the lawsuit.

He has claimed his client continues to suffer from anxiety, depression and sleepless nights and stopped attending Cornell following the alleged attack.

‘She is basically stalled, and her life is devoted to dealing with the trauma,’ Giuffra previously told the Daily Mail. ‘It’s like a constant, constant reminder.’

‘You could give her all the money in the world; nobody wants to have this as their story. Nobody wants to have this in their lives.’

Georgia College Student Aiden Dombrowski Posed as High School Runner, Attacked Athlete During Race

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A University of Georgia student allegedly disguised himself as a high school cross-country runner before ambushing an athlete and attacking him with rocks during a race.

Aiden Dombrowski is accused of carrying out the assault after infiltrating the Coweta Cup Cross Country Championship at Newnan High School on Saturday, according to Newnan police.

Dombrowski, 19, reportedly drove about 110 miles from the University of Georgia campus in Athens to Newnan, Georgia, on Friday night. He allegedly slept in his car while waiting for the meet to begin.

The following morning, Dombrowski allegedly put on an East Coweta High School cross-country uniform and moved through the woods. Investigators say he waited there until a Newnan High School runner passed by.

Witnesses told police they saw Dombrowski holding rocks, but said he ultimately pushed the runner and struck him with his fists.

Witnesses compared the bizarre attack to a scene from a Netflix movie, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.

The unidentified runner fought back, eventually forcing Dombrowski away from the course and into the surrounding woods.

As he fled, Dombrowski allegedly changed clothes and discarded the school uniform in his car. He later surrendered to police, who had been searching for him.

When Dombrowski turned himself in, he appeared to be wearing a tracksuit from another school.

In a conversation with officers, Dombrowski claimed the incident was a prank and denied attacking the runner, whom he described as an “acquaintance.”

He provided no further explanation.

“So you don’t know that kid at all,” one officer asked Dombrowski, according to body-camera footage of the arrest obtained by the outlet.

“I know him, I’m not friends with him,” Dombrowski replied. “No bad blood. Acquaintances.”

Dombrowski was arrested and charged with battery.

He was booked into the Coweta County Jail.

His mugshot showed Dombrowski with blood on his face and a gash near his right eye, an injury he allegedly suffered during the confrontation.

Police later said Dombrowski had never attended East Coweta High School. He also reportedly did not explain how he obtained the school’s uniform.

Before attending UGA, Dombrowski studied at nearby Northgate High School. According to his NCSA College Recruiting profile, he hoped to break 15 minutes in the 5K before graduating and aimed to “improve considerably” in college.

Dombrowski does not appear on the University of Georgia’s cross-country or track team rosters.

Attacker’s Identity and Motive Remain Unknown After Flydubai Flight to Israel Escapes Disaster

JERUSALEM – Investigators were working Thursday to determine the identity and motive of the Omani copilot accused of stabbing his captain aboard a flight bound for Israel. The attack sent the aircraft into a dangerous dive and ultimately forced it to land in Saudi Arabia.

Passengers on the FlyDubai flight, which was carrying 174 people from the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv, recounted how the bloodied Indian captain opened the cockpit door. Several Israeli passengers then rushed inside, restrained the copilot and helped stabilize the aircraft after its descent became so steep that the rudder was ripped away.

“We felt helpless, suspended in midair, and I didn’t know who to turn to. But it was all instinct to survive,” Asaf Rajuan, one of the passengers who responded, said in a statement released by Israel’s presidency.

Saudi and Emirati authorities have offered few public details, saying only that investigations are underway. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that the copilot was arrested.

Capt. Smit Machchhar, who has been widely hailed as another hero of the flight, was in stable condition, the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said overnight. The condition of the detained copilot remained unknown.

In an interview broadcast by CNN on Wednesday evening, Netanyahu said the suspect was an Omani national and was being questioned in Saudi Arabia.

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he and Netanyahu had discussed the incident “at length” by phone. Trump said the copilot appeared to be “perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job.”

Netanyahu also said he spoke with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who agreed that Israel would take part in questioning the suspect.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the passengers included citizens of Israel, India and the UAE. The U.S. State Department said four people aboard the aircraft were American citizens.

FlyDubai said it would suspend flights to and from Israel while the investigation continues.

Netanyahu had warned in recent days of unspecified, heightened security threats. Israel is also one week from the anniversary of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack, which set off the war in Gaza.

The crisis unfolded roughly two and a half hours after the plane left Dubai. According to Flightradar24, the Boeing 737 Max 8 descended from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet — about 10,000 meters to 5,100 meters — in approximately one minute. The aircraft then made an erratic circle near the Jordanian border before landing about an hour later in the Saudi city of Tabuk.

A person who heard the aircraft’s communications with air traffic control said Saudi Arabia and Jordan initially turned the plane away before it eventually landed in Tabuk. Passengers could be heard screaming in the background, while the pilot’s trembling voice issued a “mayday” call and reported that a hijacking was in progress.

Air traffic controllers did not explain why the aircraft had been refused. The person who heard the communications spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss the incident with the media.

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Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Couple Sentenced for Beating Roommate to Death

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Jacob Bailey and Renee Carpenter

Insets, from left: Jacob Bailey and Renee Carpenter (Craig County Sheriff’s Office). Background: the Craig County Sheriff’s Office in Vinita, Oklahoma (Google Maps).

An Oklahoma couple has been sentenced after admitting they beat their roommate to death at a home in Vinita.

Jacob Bailey, 38, and Renee Carpenter, 43, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Sept. 25 in the death of 34-year-old Robert Sikes. Sikes lived with the couple before his body was discovered in September 2025. After investigating the death and allegations of repeated violent abuse, authorities arrested Bailey and Carpenter and initially charged them with first-degree murder.

An arrest affidavit obtained by NBC affiliate KSN said the couple gave investigators changing accounts before Carpenter acknowledged beating Sikes. She also told police that Bailey had beaten him. Carpenter said she “frequently” placed Sikes in pink handcuffs because his nighttime behavioral disturbances annoyed the couple. Both told police the handcuffs were eventually thrown away, although they offered different accounts of when that occurred.

Bailey reportedly admitted beating Sikes until he became unresponsive. An autopsy found that Sikes had suffered 69 fractures, including injuries to his clavicle, ulna, ribs, mandible and eye socket. The examination also revealed internal bleeding and a ruptured bowel.

According to the affidavit, Bailey said Carpenter once stepped on Sikes’ throat to stop him from calling for help. He also told investigators that she “took part in the striking of Sikes that ultimately led to his death.”

Police said Bailey, Carpenter and Sikes all had histories of mental illness. The couple told authorities they did not seek help for Sikes because they were afraid they would get in trouble.

Bailey and Carpenter were each sentenced to 25 years in prison.

NLE Choppa Shares Adorable Interview With 6-Year-Old Daughter Clover

NLE Choppa recently sat down with Billboard Family for an interview led by an especially important host: his 6-year-old daughter, Clover, who arrived with a long list of questions.

Clover’s baby brother, Icon Chrome, joined them on the couch as she asked her father about his music career, spirituality, family life and the things he misses when they are separated.

Her question about what he misses most prompted one of the most heartfelt exchanges of the conversation.

“I miss, like, the magic you carry,” NLE Choppa told his daughter. “It’s a certain type of twinkle that you carry, and just letting me know that you, um, truly sent to my life for a divine reason. You always know how to make things feel better.”

The Memphis rapper then shared a memory from when Clover was only 3 years old, recalling how she recognized that her father was struggling.

“You walked up to me and you grabbed my hands and you said, ‘Daddy, let’s pray,’” he remembered. “You was three years old.”
NLE Choppa explained that he had never instructed Clover to pray with him. Instead, she noticed that something was wrong and comforted him on her own.

“You seen that I was going through something and you walked up to me as a three-year-old giant, grabbed both of my hands and said, ‘Daddy, let’s pray,’” he continued. “You an angel, bro.”

Clover appeared ready to skip past the emotional moment and move on with her interview.

“She too cute for me. She ain’t trying to get emotional,” her father joked.

At another point, Clover asked her dad what it was like to find fame while he was still young.

“If I was to go back in time, I never felt like I was a child around that time,” NLE Choppa said. “I never felt like a child.”

He described the surreal reaction he received when he returned to school after his music career took off.

“Bro, tell me why when I blew up and I went back to school, like, it was like a concert,” he said. “Like, everybody was in my face, the whole school.”

Clover recognized the feeling, revealing that she has experienced a similar kind of attention.

“It’s, like, a lot of people that know me from school, like, they know me from TV,” she said. “They be always following me.”

Her comment immediately showed NLE Choppa that his daughter understood the pressures he was describing.

“You already feel what I’m feeling, ’cause you a superstar yourself,” he told her. “So you understand what I’m saying?”

Sonja Morgan: Carole Radziwill Thought RHONY Was Beneath Her

Former Real Housewives of New York castmates Sonja Morgan and Luann de Lesseps have shared their reactions to Carole Radziwill rejoining the franchise. The three women appeared together on RHONY for several seasons, but Morgan admitted Radziwill’s comeback caught her off guard. She had never gotten the impression that Radziwill truly enjoyed her original experience on the reality show.

Sonja Morgan and Luann de Lesseps aren’t impressed with Carole Radziwill’s RHONY return

Radziwill announced her exit from RHONY in 2018, explaining that she wanted to devote her time to other professional interests.

“After six seasons on Bravo’s RHONYC, I have decided to return to what I do best — journalism and producing,” she wrote at the time. “I am sure this does not come as a surprise to any of the viewers, all of whom have been supportive, encouraging, and kind.”

Now that Radziwill has returned to the series, de Lesseps and Morgan addressed the unexpected career turn during a recent episode of Call Her Daddy. De Lesseps said she was not shocked by Radziwill’s decision, while Morgan acknowledged that she never expected it.

“I was surprised because when Carole filmed with us, she always acted like, you know, she wasn’t in 100%,” Morgan said. “She was always like, ‘Well, this is a bit beneath me.’ You know, she always gave that air.”

Even so, Morgan acknowledged that Radziwill has performed well since coming back to RHONY. Morgan’s praise came with one reservation: she still does not believe Radziwill is completely invested in the reality-TV experience.

Carole Radziwill previously responded to Luann de Lesseps, not Sonja Morgan

De Lesseps recently suggested that Radziwill’s return made sense because she was not particularly “busy.” Radziwill responded with a playful video showing herself fishing from a dock.

“So I heard that the Countess recently said that I wasn’t that busy,” Radziwill said. “Now you know that I love the Countess. I went to her cabaret show at Bravo Con.”

Radziwill made clear that she was pleased de Lesseps was thriving with her cabaret career. As for herself, she said she had spent her entire life working and had reached a point where she was comfortable not constantly filling her schedule.

She shared why she decided to return to the show

After almost 10 years away from the franchise, Radziwill also admitted that returning to RHONY came with some nerves.

“I feel the pressure,” she told Bravo. “It feels different this time. It’s much more intensified. But I’m so grateful, because there’s so much love in the Bravosphere.”

Radziwill said the decision to return was ultimately inspired by an encounter with a stranger at a hospital. The woman was there visiting her brother and told Radziwill that seeing her had brought a moment of happiness during an otherwise difficult day.

“Just something about that moment, not to be super corny or basic, but there was magic in it,” Radziwill said. “And I just thought, you know, people love that show. It’s these microtransactions that happen every day that really, over the long haul, change your life. You’re gonna bring them joy. It was one of the turning points.”

Flydubai Hijacker Who Stabbed Pilot Was Religious Extremist

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Israeli authorities are investigating how an Omani religious extremist, accused of stabbing his co-pilot during an attempted hijacking branded “Israel’s 9/11,” was permitted to serve on the flight.

Passengers and crew reportedly overpowered the pilot after he attacked his colleague and tried to seize control of a Flydubai aircraft travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning.

As the aircraft plunged 14,000 feet in only 29 seconds, those on board fought to restore control. Captain Smit Machchhar, suffering serious stab wounds, was left lying in a pool of blood on the cockpit floor. An off-duty British pilot is believed to have been among the passengers who helped subdue the attacker.

Another pilot has since alleged that the assailant, believed to be an Omani national, displayed signs of religious extremism.

Yosef Yisrael, a foreign affairs editor and news anchor for Israel’s Channel 16, said he had spoken with a colleague of the accused pilot who asked not to be identified.

According to Mr Yisrael’s Hebrew-language report, the colleague described the pilot as behaving in an unusually religious manner that appeared out of place among his Flydubai colleagues. He allegedly prayed frequently and refused to shake hands with women.

Mr Yisrael said his source expressed regret and accused Flydubai of having “betrayed Israel”.

“There is no other way to put it—we hired the services of a terrorist and nearly caused the deaths of 180 people,” Mr Yisrael quoted the source as saying. “Usually only Emiratis fly to Israel. It is not clear how he got on this flight.”

A pilot, believed to be a religious extremist from Oman, (pictured) stabbed his co-pilot in a suspected hijacking attempt

The pilot, believed to be an Omani religious extremist, allegedly stabbed his co-pilot during a suspected hijacking attempt

Graphic footage filmed by passengers on the flight shows the wounded pilot Smit Machchhar lying on the floor as others tend to him

Passenger footage appears to show injured captain Smit Machchhar lying on the cabin floor while others attend to him

Mr Machchhar was praised for helping protect the 174 passengers on board after reportedly fighting his co-pilot in the cockpit and preventing further interference with the aircraft’s systems

Israel is examining how the alleged attacker passed security checks and was approved to operate a flight bound for Tel Aviv. Oman has no diplomatic relations with Israel, while foreign flight crews operating into Israeli airspace are subject to strict controls.

Flydubai has suspended flights to and from Israel while it investigates the incident.

Flight FZ1073 changed course over Jordanian airspace on Wednesday morning before eventually landing at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia.

The crew issued a general emergency alert using squawk code 7700, a four-digit signal used to notify air traffic controllers of an in-flight emergency, as the aircraft turned around near the Jordan-Saudi border.

While over Saudi Arabia, the aircraft briefly transmitted code 7500, which indicates unlawful interference or a possible hijacking. Officials feared the incident could develop into another September 11-style attack, while reports said passengers had restrained the suspect and stopped an alleged “Israeli 9/11”.

A source who heard the crew’s mayday communication with air traffic control said the aircraft was redirected by Saudi Arabia and Jordan before being cleared to land in Tabuk, a major city in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

The anonymous source said the pilot sounded shaken as he repeatedly called “mayday”, reported that a hijacking was under way and warned that ambulances would be required after landing.

Saudi authorities initially refused permission to land and instructed the aircraft to seek clearance from Jordan. The plane was then told to wait for approval from the Jordanian military before being turned away.

The pilot subsequently returned toward Saudi Arabia and said he had no choice but to land in Tabuk. Air traffic controllers did not explain why the earlier landing requests had been rejected.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with passenger Yaniv Hayun - who helped prevent the hijacking on the Flydubai plane

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with passenger Yaniv Hayun – who helped prevent the hijacking on the Flydubai plane

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the assailant’s arrest on Wednesday afternoon, adding he is ‘currently being questioned by the Saudi authorities’. His identity, intention and motive have not yet been confirmed. 

Passengers and crew, including the captain Mr Machchhar, have been hailed for their bravery in preventing what is believed to be an attempted suicide mission. One of whom is said to have been an off-duty British pilot. 

Mr Machchhar was praised for saving the lives of those 174 passengers on board, which included four Americans. While cruising mid-air, the hero was able to fight off his co-pilot in the cockpit and his attempts to sabotage the plane’s systems.

Distressing footage showed Mr Machchhar lying on the ground covered in blood as passengers tended to his injuries, while another pilot is seen seemingly lying nearby unconscious. Passengers can be heard telling one of the men: ‘You saved the plane.’

Delhi’s embassy in Saudi Arabia has since confirmed Mr Machchhar is being treated in a hospital in Tabuk.

The incident was described as ‘an attempted jihadist terror attack’ by Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz, which was ‘thwarted only thanks to the heroism of several Israeli passengers’.

This includes one Israeli passenger, named by local media as Yaniv Hayun, who was called a ‘hero’ by Mr Netanyahu during a meeting as he arrived back in Tel Aviv. 

Mr Hayun, who was wearing a blood-soaked T-shirt, embraced the Israeli PM before describing how he broke down the cockpit door and wrestled the alleged terrorist before taking over control of the plane – the skills of which he credits to his watching of TV show Air Disasters, which investigates notable aviation crises. 

The jet dropped from 30,875 feet to 16,750 feet in just 29 seconds

The jet dropped from 30,875 feet to 16,750 feet in just 29 seconds

Passengers file out of the rear of the plane, which appeared to show a section of the rudder missing, after it landed in Saudi Arabia

Passengers file out of the rear of the plane, which appeared to show a section of the rudder missing, after it landed in Saudi Arabia 

One passenger Almog Itali described how the plane became a ‘rollercoaster’ before it ‘dropped down like a massive G-force’ for around 30 seconds. 

Mr Itali credits the passengers who intercepted the believed hijack with his life, telling BBC Newsnight: ‘They are very brave, the literally saved our lives.’

Aviation experts have marvelled that the plane didn’t crash, as the flight plummeted from 33,000ft to 17,000ft (around 10,000 meters to 5,100 meters) in about a minute, before making an erratic circle close to the Jordanian border and landing in Tabuk about an hour later, according to Flightradar24, which identified the aircraft as a Boeing 737 Max 8. 

United Airlines pilot and aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said he was surprised that the plane was able to land safely after most of the rudder was ripped off the tail during the extreme descent.

‘That was a serious descent and strong aerodynamic forces on that rudder for that to happen. I’m just amazed the aircraft didn’t come apart,’ Mr Arroyo said.

Another aviation safety expert, Jeff Guzzetti, said that given the rate of descent, it may not have been possible for the plane to level out if it had fallen below 10,000ft.

‘It is remarkable they were able to pull out of that dive. What saved them is there was enough altitude left for them to recover,’ said Mr Guzzetti, who used to investigate crashes for the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration in the US.

Flydubai said in a statement it was suspending flights to and from Israel as it investigated Wednesday’s incident. 

READ MORE: Stabbed pilot is a true hero. He opened the cockpit door’: Netanyahu heaps praise on captain of Flydubai plane and passengers who overpowered attacker and averted 9/11-style disaster

Long Island Dad Lonnie Booker Shot and Killed at Bellport Park

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A Long Island father of two was killed in what police believe was a targeted shooting at a North Bellport park, while a separate confrontation involving the victim’s friend prompted a lockdown at a nearby hospital.

Lonnie Booker, 43, was shot in the chest at Robert Rowley Park at approximately 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Suffolk County Police Department.

Booker was transported to NYU Langone-Suffolk in East Patchogue, located about three miles from the park. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said Booker appeared to know the shooter. Surveillance footage reportedly showed the suspect leaving the park in a red sedan.

“It appears that it is a targeted attack, and that the victim and perpetrator knew each other,” Catalina told ABC7NY.

No suspect has been arrested. Detectives with the Suffolk County Police Department’s Homicide Squad are urging anyone with information to come forward.

The turmoil continued at the hospital shortly after Booker arrived.

Police said Booker’s friend, Emmanuel Mayo, went to the hospital and became involved in a confrontation with an officer, according to Greater Long Island.

Mayo, 37, allegedly pushed an officer as he attempted to enter the hospital and then resisted arrest, police said. Hospital employees and officers temporarily restricted visitors from entering the building until the situation was under control.

Mayo faces charges of second-degree harassment and resisting arrest.

Back at Robert Rowley Park, Booker’s loved ones and friends created a memorial and gathered to grieve.

“My cousin was an outstanding guy, and boom, he shouldn’t have died like that,” Earl Parker told ABC7NY.

The fatal shooting has also renewed questions about security at the park.

Just seven days before Booker was killed, police detained seven people for allegedly trespassing at the park after dark. Four were taken into custody on outstanding warrants, while three received field appearance tickets, Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico told Newsday.

Panico said Brookhaven has made significant investments in the park, including installing surveillance cameras after residents raised concerns about people lingering there after hours.

Catalina said Booker was the first person shot in the Fifth Precinct this year, while emphasizing that “one homicide victim is one too many” and “one shooting victim is one too many.”

The investigation into the North Bellport shooting remains ongoing, police said.