By The Daily Wire (World News) | Created at 2026-09-30 18:45:58 | Updated at 2026-09-30 20:49:48
7 hours ago
The Trump administration insisted there is no threat to the American homeland following an attempted hijacking of a Tel Aviv-bound flight that foreign officials called a terror attack.
At a press conference on election integrity ahead of the midterms, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the Transportation Security Administration is always on “high alert.”
“This is an ongoing investigation. We were having conflicting reports this morning, still coming in. That’s what happens in a situation like this, especially so far away. I know the question may come up: is TSA taking a different posture at this? TSA, we’re always at high alert,” Mullin said. “We take every incident like this very serious, and we continue to look at the procedures that we have in place and continue to make sure the American people are safe.”
Mullin added that “we have no credible threats to us right now” regarding Flight FZ1073, which carried 174 passengers from Dubai to Ben Gurion Airport.
Passengers aboard the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight found themselves fighting for control of the aircraft on Wednesday after the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and attempted to hijack the plane, according to Israeli officials.
Firsthand accounts describe a chaotic struggle as passengers and crew members rushed toward the cockpit, subdued the suspected attacker, and helped get the plane safely onto the ground in Saudi Arabia, The Daily Wire reported.
Israeli officials declared the incident a terror attack. Attorney General Todd Blanche said investigations into the terrifying ordeal remain “very active.”
“It just happened. It’s very active. There’s active investigations going on in Israel and elsewhere. We’re coordinating very closely with our counterparts overseas. We’ll continue to do so,” Blanche said. “We have a great relationship with Israel, and we’ve been coordinating with them since this happened, and we’ll continue to do so.”
The suspected hijacker, an Omani co-pilot, allegedly stabbed the captain and attempted to seize control of the aircraft. The passengers did not simply wait for help. One Israeli passenger described the fight in a video recorded after the plane was brought under control.
“About the Dubai flight, we took control of the flight,” the passenger said. “Here, there was an incident with a crazy with a knife that stabbed one of the pilots. We just jumped in, and yeah, we got him.”
The aircraft lost altitude rapidly during the confrontation, plunging more than 17,000 feet before the situation was brought under control, according to Israeli officials.
Israeli fighter jets were scrambled after authorities initially feared the aircraft had been hijacked. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz held an emergency security consultation as the plane lost contact and veered away from Israel. The aircraft ultimately landed safely, with all passengers and crew members still alive.
