Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain, tried to crash plane, Netanyahu says
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu stated the co-pilot underwent radicalisation and aimed to crash the aircraft.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Passengers from a Flydubai flight that made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia arrive at Ben Gurion Airport, outside Tel Aviv, Israel, Sept. 30, 2026. Israel's main television channels broadcast their arrival at Ben Gurion Airport live, where they were met by paramedics and social workers. (Photo by Jamal Awad/Xinhua)
Photograph: Xinhua (embedded from source)
What this story says
- A Flydubai co-pilot attacked and stabbed the captain inside the cockpit during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the co-pilot attempted to crash the aircraft with all passengers on board.
- The United Arab Emirates attorney-general ordered a probe, and a UAE presidential adviser called the attack a terrorist act.
- Netanyahu said Israel is investigating whether the co-pilot was sent by someone and that whoever sent him would pay a heavy price.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 10 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 11 of the 21 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
68/100
Craft
85/100
Hype
35/100
21 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 2 of the 10 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
An incident occurred on a Flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the co-pilot attacked and stabbed the captain inside the cockpit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the co-pilot had undergone radicalisation and attempted to crash the aircraft with all passengers on board. The United Arab Emirates attorney-general ordered a probe into the incident, and UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash described the attack as a terrorist act. Netanyahu also stated that Israel is investigating whether the co-pilot was sent by an external party and that whoever sent him would pay a very heavy price.
Disagreement on the co-pilot's motive
While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the co-pilot attempted to crash the plane with all passengers on board, citing radicalisation, the motive behind the incident remained unclear according to France24. News9 Live also noted that officials were examining the co-pilot's alleged radicalisation, actions, and possible motive.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated digests mention the injured captain's name, Smith Machchhar, which is mentioned in the right-rated Moneycontrol and OpsLens digests. None of the left-rated digests mention the specific number of passengers on board, which is stated as 180 in the right-rated OpsLens digest.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 3 times, most recently on 3 Oct 2026, 02:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
2 rated outlets
- The left-rated reports led on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements regarding the Flydubai co-pilot's alleged attempt to crash the plane. Xinhua reported Netanyahu's claim that the co-pilot "came to crash the plane with all passengers on board" and that Israel was investigating potential external involvement. Palinfo.com framed the incident as Netanyahu "employing the Flye Dubai aircraft incident to Tel Aviv, trying to move it from a fact the details of which are still under investigation to an open security and political file."
Centre
1 rated outlet
- The centre-rated report led on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's warning of a "very heavy price" for any country or organisation found responsible for the incident. France24 noted that while Netanyahu alleged the co-pilot had undergone "Islamist radicalisation," the motive remained unclear.
Right
7 rated outlets
- The right-rated reports focused on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements about the co-pilot's radicalisation and the threat of retaliation. News-pravda.com reported Netanyahu stating, "The attacker underwent Islamist radicalization. He came to crash the plane with its passengers on board. We are now investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price." The Dallas Express News linked Netanyahu's statements to "Islamist Indoctrination," while Moneycontrol reported Netanyahu confirming the co-pilot "underwent radical Islamist indoctrination."
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain, tried to crash plane, Netanyahu says?
- Of the 10 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 20% are rated left, 10% are rated centre, 70% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 21. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain, tried to crash plane, Netanyahu says left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 10 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain, tried to crash plane, Netanyahu says biased?
- Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain, tried to crash plane, Netanyahu says is one event reported by 21 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain, tried to crash plane, Netanyahu says?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain, tried to crash plane, Netanyahu says?
- 21 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What happened on the Flydubai flight?
- During a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, the co-pilot attacked and stabbed the captain inside the cockpit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the co-pilot attempted to crash the aircraft with all passengers on board.
- What did Benjamin Netanyahu say about the incident?
- Netanyahu stated the co-pilot underwent radicalisation and intended to crash the plane. He also said Israel is investigating whether the co-pilot was sent by someone and that whoever sent him would pay a heavy price.
- How did the UAE respond to the incident?
- The United Arab Emirates attorney-general ordered a probe into the incident. UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash described the attack as a terrorist act.
Read it at the source
21 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
2Centre
1Right
7- Israel is investigating who may be behind the actions of the Flydubai pilot who attempted to crash the plane, in order to make them pay a “very heavy price,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated (opens news-pravda.com in a new tab)
news-pravda.com — is news-pravda.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price: Netanyahu on indoctrinated Islamist co-pilot of flydubai cockpit attack - The Tribune (opens Tribune India in a new tab)
Tribune India — is Tribune India biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Netanyahu on the Bombing of Flydubai: "Whoever Sent the Suicide Bomber Will Pay a High Price" (opens OKDIARIO in a new tab)
- Netanyahu Links Flydubai Co-Pilot To Islamist Indoctrination (opens The Dallas Express News in a new tab)
The Dallas Express News — is The Dallas Express News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Netanyahu Threatens Who's Responsible for the Events of Flay Dubai's Flight. (opens Al Bawaba in a new tab)
- Benjamin Netanyahu warns of retaliation if flydubai co-pilot was acting on orders: 'Very heavy price' (opens Moneycontrol in a new tab)
Moneycontrol — is Moneycontrol biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ‘Kill me’: Co-pilot accused of trying to crash jet full of people studied ‘Islamist radical indoctrination’ * WorldNetDaily * by Bob Unruh (opens OpsLens in a new tab)
Not rated
11- ‘Any country behind FlyDubai attempted plane hijacking will pay a very heavy price’ - Newsy People (opens newsypeople.com in a new tab)
newsypeople.com — is newsypeople.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Netanyahu Notes the "Islamist Radicalization" of the Flydubai Flight Pilot: "The Image Is Clear" (opens diarioestrategia.cl in a new tab)
diarioestrategia.cl — is diarioestrategia.cl biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Israeli Prime Minister: Flydubai Co-Pilot Intended to Crash the Plane with All Passengers on Board. (opens Báo điện tử Dân Trí in a new tab)
Báo điện tử Dân Trí — is Báo điện tử Dân Trí biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Netanyahu: "Aggressor Flydubai Wanted to Crash Airplane" (opens Lapresse in a new tab)
- Netanyahu: We Are Investigating Whether the Co-Pilot of "Flydubai" Acted on Someone's Orders (opens Naslovi.net in a new tab)
Naslovi.net — is Naslovi.net biased? Our profile of this outlet
- How Many Traps (Electoral) Faces Netanyahu (opens Domani in a new tab)
Domani — is Domani biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Flydubai attack: Netanyahu warns those behind crash attempt will ‘pay a heavy price’ (opens NEWS9 LIVE in a new tab)
NEWS9 LIVE — is NEWS9 LIVE biased? Our profile of this outlet
- UAE and Netanyahu Describe Attack on FlyDubai Plane as Terrorist Act (opens Reporter.gr in a new tab)
Reporter.gr — is Reporter.gr biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 3 more
- 'Whoever Sent the Omani Pilot Will Pay a Heavy Price'; Netanyahu Warns (opens Mathrubhumi in a new tab)
Mathrubhumi — is Mathrubhumi biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Thriller in the Air: Attempted Crash of FlyDubai Plane by Co-Pilot – Ties with Iran in the Frame (opens GR Times in a new tab)
- Drama on Board Flydubai Plane. Netanyahu Speaks of "Radical Indoctrination" (opens Gazeta in a new tab)
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
