4 Americans were aboard Dubai flight during cockpit attack as passenger recalls ‘blood everywhere’

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL: Four Americans were aboard the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight that diverted to Saudi Arabia after a cockpit attack, the US State Department has confirmed.

Passenger Adam Polo, who was sitting just two rows behind the man who helped restrain the suspected attacker, also described the frightening moments when the aircraft suddenly plunged.

The incident aboard FlyDubai Flight 1073 left passengers fearing the plane would crash. The flight diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, where the injured captain was taken to a hospital and passengers were later flown back to Tel Aviv.

Adam Polo recalls terrifying plunge on Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight

Speaking to 'America Reports,' Polo said the aircraft’s sudden drop initially felt like a normal air pocket, but the situation quickly became much more frightening.

“You really felt like the G-Force,” he said, comparing the experience to an “extreme roller coaster.”

Polo said the plane's electricity, air conditioning and entertainment systems shut off immediately.

Soon after, passengers near the cockpit began shouting about what was happening.

“They started to shout that there's stabbing and that there is blood everywhere,” he recalled.

Polo was seated in row 13, just two rows behind the passenger who helped subdue the suspected attacker.

His account offered a glimpse of the confusion inside the cabin as passengers tried to understand why the aircraft was suddenly descending.

Other passengers also described feeling the plane drop sharply. Mika Bauman, who was aboard the flight, told ABC News that the descent felt unlike ordinary turbulence.

“I guess usually there's like some turbulence and you feel like whoa, but then it like evens out pretty quickly, and here it wasn't like that,” she said.

“It was...like chaos screaming and just the crazy drop. Like you look at the ground and you're like, 'OK, I'm going that way right now.'”

Four Americans were aboard as State Department offered assistance

The US State Department confirmed that four Americans were aboard the flight when it diverted to Saudi Arabia.

A spokesperson said the department was working with local authorities and stood ready to provide consular assistance to any Americans on board.

The US Embassy and the US Consulate in Jeddah were also in contact with local authorities as the investigation continued.

The department stressed the Trump administration’s commitment to assisting Americans abroad.

Passengers describe fear after cockpit attack

Israeli officials said the plane's first officer allegedly stabbed the captain before the aircraft began descending rapidly.

Passengers said they felt the impact almost immediately, while some worked together to restrain the suspect and another crew member took control of the plane.

One passenger, who identified herself as Miram, told Israeli media that the situation became frightening when people heard screams from the cockpit and saw the injured pilot.

“We felt like we were, like, going to crash,” she said, recalling how she began saying the Jewish prayer “Shema Israel.”

Passenger Itzhak Liber also described the incident in a Hebrew-language selfie video posted to Facebook after the plane had landed in Saudi Arabia.

“Here was a crazy man with a knife who stabbed one of the pilots. We jumped and helped the pilot. Friends, everything is OK now, as you can see we are landing in Saudi Arabia, you can see I am fine. That’s it,” he said.

The aircraft was diverted to Saudi Arabia, where the injured captain was taken to a hospital.

The passengers were later repatriated to Israel, while the suspect remained in custody as the investigation continued.

Passengers returned to Tel Aviv after frightening ordeal

When the passengers arrived back in Tel Aviv, they were welcomed home after the frightening experience.

Bauman said she was grateful to have made it back safely, even though the ordeal had left her shaken.

“It feels amazing in that it'll probably take me a little while to get on the plane again,” she said.

“But I'm honestly just thanking God that I'm here right now because it was so close to not happening based on the whole situation that we were just in.”