Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the "attacking pilot" is being investigated in Saudi Arabia.

The pilot will then likely be taken to the United Arab Emirates, where the plane took off from, Netanyahu tells Fox News' Sean Hannity.

Israel is "likely" to participate in the investigation, Netanyahu adds, confirming that the pilot's precise motive is currently unknown.

He commends the "tremendous courage" of those who helped to prevent the crash.

This live coverage is being paused. You can read the latest news story here.

We've been hearing some of the harrowing details from the passengers on board the Dubai to Tel Aviv flight.

Almog Itali was on board and has spoken to BBC Newsnight, comparing the mid-air drop to the feeling of weightlessness experienced on a rollercoaster ride.

"Suddenly the aeroplane started to, like a rollercoaster, to drop down like a massive G-force," Itali said.

"It was falling down for 20 or 30 seconds rapidly" he said before the plane stabilised, and then started to descend again.

When the plane started falling for a second time, he saw people "rushing to the cockpit".

"Apparently one of the pilots stopped the other one and a couple of passengers and crew members took over and knocked it down."

"Just three or four passengers that took over the pilot were injured, so you probably saw their faces, but the other passengers didn't have any injuries and even the three or four people that are very brave and took over, they have very surface injuries, not major injuries.

"They are very brave," Itali said. "They literally saved our lives."

Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Live reporter

A routine flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv could have ended disastrously in what Israeli officials are calling a terror attack.

Here is what we know:

• Flydubai says its flight FZ 1073 "experienced an incident" almost two and half hours into its journey
• One of the pilots apparently stabbed the other in an attempt to crash the plane, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says, and data shows the plane plummeted by 17,000ft in two minutes
• Crew and passengers were able to come into the cockpit, restrain the attacker and stabilise the plane before making a safe emergency landing in Saudi Arabia
• India's embassy in Saudi Arabia has identified the pilot who was attacked as Smit Machchhar. He is receiving treatment in Tabuk, where the plane landed. Netanyahu has described him as a "true hero" who exhibited "extraordinary bravery"
• The other pilot has not been publicly identified
• There have been scenes of emotional family reunions and celebrations at the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv after the airline sent a replacement flight to complete the journey
• Israeli officials says they will increase security checks on pilots flying into the country after the prime minister ordered authorities to "ramp up security" for inbound flights
• Saudi medical professionals attended to the injured Israel-bound passengers, a gesture for which an Israeli minister thanked the kingdom

We have just heard from US President Donald Trump who says he talked to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about today's flydubai incident.

He says the prime minister briefed him on what happened and of the efforts of those on board to help salvage the flight.

"I think it's an incredible story," Trump says. "It seems the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job."

He also praised the co-pilot who was attacked as "hero".

Flydubai is suspending all flights between its hub in the United Arab Emirates and Israel after the attack.

"Following the incident involving flight FZ 1073 on 30 September, and in coordination with the relevant authorities, flydubai flights to and from Israel will be suspended while the investigation continues," the airline says in a statement.

"This temporary suspension will allow the relevant authorities to continue their work and establish all the facts surrounding the incident... We remain in close coordination with government authorities, regulators and airport stakeholders and will review the suspension as more information becomes available."

Before today's incident, flydubai operated 10 flights daily from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

Aircraft appears to show tail fin damage after emergency landingpublished at 21:43 BST 30 September

21:43 BST 30 September

By Thomas Spencer and Sam Howarth

A verified image of the Flydubai aircraft after its emergency landing appears to show it has sustained damage to its tail fin.

BBC Verify has confirmed the image shows the Boeing 737 Max airliner on the ground at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia.

Passengers can also be seen disembarking the plane onto the tarmac.

When compared to other images of similar aircraft operated by the airline, a section of the plane’s rudder appears to be missing or damaged.

It is not clear how this damage occurred, but experts say it is likely a result of abnormal stress placed on the plane during the rapid descent and ascent it experienced.

Marco Chan, an aviation operations lecturer at Kingston University, tells BBC Verify the rudder damage could be explained by attempts to “aggressively” operate it and putting too much stress on an "extremely sensitive" part.

He adds it’s possible this occurred either during a struggle to control the plane or an attempt to rescue the aircraft from a rapid descent.

Wedaeli Chibelushi
Live page reporter

Earlier, Israel's prime minister said he spoke to a passenger who said he managed to break into the cockpit with a crew member.

In a similar testimony, another passenger told Israeli media that a group of men "burst" into the cockpit.

It is not yet clear how the cockpit door was opened, but aviation experts told the BBC cockpit doors are normally firmly locked and reinforced.

"My understanding has always been that it is a locked and bullet-proofed door, former airline captain Emma Henderson says.

Henderson says pilots in the cockpit can unlock the door from their seats.

Ex-pilot and aviation commentator Alastair Rosenschein expands on this, saying “there is a slightly different system in every aircraft” but most flight decks have an electronic switch that pilots can "simply flick”.

Israel's Minister of Culture and Sport Miki Zohar has expressed the government's gratitute to Saudi officials for swiftly helping passengers on the ill-fated flight that landed on its soil.

"On behalf of the people of Israel, I thank the Saudi people for the warm welcome and kindness they showed the Israeli passengers rescued this morning," he said in an online statement. "God willing, may peace come to us and to all the people of Israel."

The message includes video of Saudi medical professionals treating passengers injured from the incident.

This message of gratitude from a high level Israeli minister is significant because both countries do not have formal diplomatic relationships.

Saudi Arabia doesn't officially recognise Israel and passport holders ordinarily cannot enter the country. The kingdom has conditioned the normalisation of relations with Israel on the creation of a Palestinian state.

There celebratory scenes at Israel's Ben Gurion airport earlier as passengers from the Flydubai flight were greeted by large crowds who gathered to welcome the them home.

Many were waving Israeli flags and cheering as the returning passengers exited the terminal.

Image source, Reute

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

The Indian embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia says it is closely monitoring the health condition of Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who was attacked mid-flight.

Machchhar was taken to hospital in Tabuk city after the flight was diverted there, where he is now receiving "necessary medical attention", the embassy says.

A full update on his condition is not yet available but he is reportedly in stable condition, the embassy says.

"We hope that he recovers from his injuries at the earliest," the embassy says, adding that it is in touch with Machchhar's family.

Israel is set to increase its security checks on international pilots flying into Israel, a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister's office tells Reuters.

"Every pilot that is going to be flying into Israel, we are going to know the pilots' identities, know who they are, and do some type of security check," Doron Spielman tells the news agency.

He says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed authorities to "ramp up security" on any flight in which "an Israeli is going to be flying into Israel".

"Our job right now is to do our best - even if they're not on Israeli airlines - to make sure that those security procedures are much higher," Spielman adds.

Former airline captain Emma Henderson tells the BBC an attack like the one in this morning's Israel-bound flight is "very unusual".

Although protocols have changed since the Germanwings crash in 2015 - when the co-pilot locked the captain out of the cockpit and caused a deadly crash - nothing could have prevented what happened.

Back in 2015, the European Aviation Safety Agency told airlines to "ensure at least two crew, including at least one qualified pilot, are in the cockpit at all times of the flight or implement other equivalent mitigating measures".

But this is different, Henderson explains: "It's very difficult to train for a scenario like this, where it seems that there was an intent by one of the pilots to do something with the aircraft that took it away from its safe flight path and then there was an altercation that resulted in violence".

Image source, Social media

Asked about damage to the plane, Henderson says it's difficult to tell why the tail rudder is no longer there. But, she adds, if there was a struggle in the cockpit then there could be enough pressure put on those flight control surfaces to damage that and make it break away.

"That's very much down to the investigation to find out", she says.

On the plane dropping 17,000 ft in under two minutes, Henderson says it is "definitely not a rate of descent that we'd use as part of a normal flight", adding that you'd only expect such a drop in that timeframe in emergencies.

Israeli officials are naming the pilot who was attacked mid-flight as Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's calls Machchhar a "true hero" of "extraordinary bravery".

"Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster," Netanyahu writes on X.

"Today, our hearts are with him and his family," Israel's parliament speaker Amir Ohana also writes on X.

His name was also published by media outlets in India.

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

Passengers who were travelling on the Flydubai plane from Dubai to Tel Aviv have made an emotional return to Israel's Ben Gurion airport.

Here's how the day unfolded.

The plane was diverted to Saudi Arabia earlier today after one of its pilots stabbed the other pilot, in what Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called an attempt to crash the plane. The plane plummeted 17,000ft (5,200m) and several Israeli passengers have been hailed as heroes after overpowering the attacker and taking control of the plane.

The passengers were greeted at the airport this evening by crowds of onlookers playing music, singing, dancing and waving Israeli flags.

"Thank God I'm alive," passenger Haim Lazarovich told journalists, adding that "the most terrifying moment in this flight was when the pilot loses control."

A number of people were "very emotional and crying as they came off the plane," a paramedic from Israel's ambulance service told the BBC.

Shortly afterwards, Netanyahu posted on social media that he met with one of the passengers, Yaniv, whom the PM said "broke into the cockpit".

Yaniv explained: "The pilot who was stabbed was simply very close to the door, so it was hard for us to open it." But before the stabbed pilot collapsed he was able to open the door. Yaniv said the attacker was trying to disable the plane.

Another passenger, Zvika Meness, said he helped overpower the attacker and that he and two others "tied [the attacker] up with his own zip ties and with the multimedia headphones."

Jon Donnison
Middle East correspondent in Ben Gurion

Interestingly, on Israeli airlines, there is usually an air marshal on board. That's a security officer who is usually armed, and that gives an extra level of protection.

I'm not aware that there would've been one on this Flydubai flight. It's only fairly recently that Israel formalised relations with the UAE and now there's a lot of flights going between the two countries, which never used to be the case.

Israelis, hearing this news, are going to be worried about flying on foreign airlines that aren't Israeli, as on those, they get a higher level of security.

Another question that will be asked is the vetting of pilots, and whether the pilot in this case was politically motivated or had mental issues.

Zvika Meness, a passenger who says he assisted in overpowering the attacker on the diverted flight, has told Israeli media that he and two other passengers tied the assailant up with zip ties and headphones.

Meness, who we earlier reported had described the incident as "traumatic", told Israeli public broadcaster Kan that a pilot in the passenger cabin entered the cockpit after hearing shouting.

"Then we saw stabbings and they were thrown out. It was a very difficult incident. Three of us jumped in and neutralised him," he says.

"Another pilot who was sitting in the passenger cabin went in to replace the additional pilot, and they essentially landed the plane. That's it," he adds.

Asked how they restrained the attacker, Meness says: "Three of us jumped on him forcefully, and we tied him up with his own zip ties and with the multimedia headphones. That is how we neutralised him."

Graphic footage appears to show bloodied pilotspublished at 18:41 BST 30 September

18:41 BST 30 September

By Shayan Sardarizadeh

BBC Verify has examined a graphic video which appears to show the pilots of the Flydubai flight covered in blood near the cockpit.

The footage shows two men wearing oxygen masks on the floor. One appears to have a yellow strap secured around his chest, while the other is topless. Blood can also be seen on a door behind them.

While we have not been able to determine the precise location of the flight when the video was filmed, there are several indicators pointing to it being authentic.

At least two men are wearing blue and white checked shirts which match Flydubai cabin crew uniforms.

The crew are watching over the injured men. Someone asks in English “how much time we need?” and the topless man is urged to stay awake.

Two men, who appear to be passengers, can be seen speaking in Hebrew. Both are identifiable in other imagery from the flight.

One is wearing a bloodied white T-shirt and tells the person filming they are “in the cockpit” guarding the pilot and adds ”we were attacked”.

The other, who has a visible head wound, says: “They attacked us on this plane. They tried to kill the pilot. We took control.”

Another passenger who has been speaking to journalists outside the airport says the incident on board lasted maybe five minutes but felt "like hell".

Oran Choen says he heard "Allahu Akbar" being shouted before the plane started to dive, about an hour before the flight was due to land - he does not specify who he heard say "Allahu Akbar".

"I can't tell you the feelings I felt in that moment... I am 18 years old... it was a very tough moment," he says.

"Maybe it was five minutes but it feels like hell - I heard my brother behind me scream that we was going to die," he adds.

Getting emotional, he says it was a "very bad moment".

Image source, Netanyahu/X

We can bring you more from Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with one of the passengers, Yaniv, whom the PM says "broke into the cockpit".

Netanyahu describes him as "a hero" and asks how he did it.

"We are a nation of lions, aren't we?" the passenger says.

Netanyahu says he sees "a great hero" and pointing to the bloodstain on the shirt, says: "Wow, is that from him?," to which the passenger replies: "It's from him, yes."

"It's simply unbelievable what you did," Netanyahu says.

Explaining more about how he broke through the door, Yaniv explains: "The pilot who was stabbed was simply very close to the door, so it was hard for us to open it."

But he says "before he (the stabbed pilot) collapsed" he managed to open the door.

"When I entered, I saw the attacker on the instruments, between the two seats... there were no pilots in the seats.

"One was down, one was on the instruments. And another guy came in with me. I grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold, and pulled him - first and foremost - outside."

He says the attacker was "trying to destroy the instruments in order to disable the plane".

Yaniv then says he called out "to the Israeli guys with us on the plane", and together they "pinned him down to keep him secure".

Yaniv also says he "pulled the controls [of the plane]".

"You pulled the controls?" Netanyahu responds.

"I watch Air Crash Investigation, Mr Prime Minister," Yaniv replies. "And the plane started to level out, a bit more, and then the pilot told me he was taking control from there."

Image source, Israeli Prime Minister's Office

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met passengers at Ben Gurion airport after they got off their repatriation flight.

A video on his official social media account shows him hugging and greeting passengers. One of the men has a bloody stained t-shirt.

The caption says he met "Yaniv, who broke into the cockpit on the flight from Dubai to Israel".