The United States Department of State has confirmed that four American citizens were aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv that was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an incident involving the aircraft’s cockpit crew.
A State Department spokesperson, in a statement to Anadolu on Wednesday, said the US Government was working with local authorities and was prepared to provide consular assistance to the affected Americans.
“We are working with local authorities and stand ready to provide consular assistance to any and all Americans aboard the flight,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that the US Embassy and the US Consulate in Jeddah were maintaining communication with Saudi authorities as investigations into the incident continued.
“The Trump administration takes seriously our commitment to Americans abroad and stands ready to provide consular assistance,” the statement added.
The development followed reports that a confrontation in the aircraft’s cockpit triggered a hijacking alert code, prompting the flight’s eventual diversion to Saudi Arabia.
Flydubai has confirmed that the circumstances surrounding the altercation, including the motives behind it, remain unclear and are being investigated formally.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he had discussed the incident with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump suggested that the co-pilot may have been responsible for the confrontation, stating that “it seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist, or perhaps a whack-job, and he stabbed the pilot.”
However, the circumstances of the alleged stabbing and the identities of those involved have not been independently established in the information provided.
The investigation is expected to clarify what transpired in the cockpit, the events that triggered the hijacking alert and the circumstances surrounding the aircraft’s diversion to Saudi Arabia.
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