TERROR IN THE COCKPIT? Israel’s security establishment increasingly believes that’s what happened aboard a Tel Aviv-bound Flydubai flight. Flydubai flight FZ1073, traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was forced to divert to Saudi Arabia after what Israeli officials describe as an attempted hijacking by one of the pilots. According to The Jerusalem Post, an Israeli official says one pilot stabbed the other and attempted to seize the aircraft. The growing assessment among Israel’s IDF, Mossad and Shin Bet is that the incident was intended as an act of terror. Investigators are still determining exactly what the alleged attacker intended to do with the aircraft. Then came the part that sounds almost impossible. As the aircraft plunged thousands of feet, passengers near the front reportedly rushed toward the cockpit and helped fight and subdue the alleged attacker, allowing other pilots to regain control of the aircraft. One passenger described Israelis physically helping remove the attacker from the cockpit. Flight-tracking data independently confirms an extraordinary sequence: FZ1073 transmitted the emergency code 7700, switched to 7500 — the international code for unlawful interference — and later returned to 7700 before landing safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Flightradar24 recorded a steep and erratic descent during the emergency. Everyone on board was ultimately reported safe and accounted for. A potentially catastrophic incident. Passengers who reportedly ran toward the danger. And a major investigation now underway into exactly what happened inside that cockpit. This is a developing story. I’ll update as more is confirmed. Source/reporting: Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Flightradar24 Follow @TheRealZvi for Israel news, context and the stories behind the headlines.