NEW DETAILS: Pilot changed transponder code to signal hijacking

BROWNSVILLE, AND WE WILL BRING. IT. THE VICE PRESIDENT WHEN HE. BEGINS. ♪ ♪. MANY PEOPLE RUSHED OVER THERE. A CREW MEMBER WITH THE. PASSENGERS. THEY GOT TOGETHER AND TOOK OVER. >> Kayleigh: BACKING OUT OF THE. MIDDLE EAST WERE MONITORING THE. SITUATION. AFTER AN ISRAEL BOUND FLIGHT. DUBAI FLIGHT HAD TO LAND IN.

SAUDI ARABIA AFTER ONE PILOT. ALLEGEDLY STABBED THE OTHER. PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN. NETANYAHU SAYS THE PLANE WENT. INTO A DIVE AND THE ATTACKING. PILOT APPARENTLY TRIED TO CRASH. IT. PASSENGERS AND CREW FOUGHT THEIR. WAY INTO THE COCKPIT AND SUBDUED. HIM. PELLETS WERE INJURED AND ALL. PASSENGERS ARE NOW SAFE. SIDE ARABIA AUTHORITIES DETAINED. THE SUSPECT. ISRAEL IS ASSESSING THIS AS A. POSSIBLE TERROR ATTACK AND WE. ARE WAITING FOR THESE PASSENGERS. TO SAFELY AT ISRAEL'S BEN GURION.

AIRPORT WE ARE TOLD THEY HAVE. LANDED, BUT WE ARE THEIR. APPEARANCE WITH PRIME MINISTER. BENJAMIN NETANYAHU. >> NEARLY ALL THE PASSENGERS ON. THE FLIGHT WERE ISRAELIS. >> Kayleigh: FLIGHT, AS THEY. WERE APPROACHING ISRAEL, ONE OF. THE PILOTS STABBED THE OTHER. PILOT AND APPARENTLY TRIED TO. CRASH THE PLANE AND EVERYONE ON. BOARD. >> Kayleigh: HELLO, EVERYONE. I'M KAYLEIGH McENANY ALONG. WITH MY CO-HOST HARRIS FAULKNER. ALSO JOINING US, LESLEY. MARSHALL, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR. ROSANNA SCOTTO, FOX 5 NEWS.

ANCHOR AND HOST OF THE. UNDERGROUND ECONOMY ON FOX. NATION, AND JOSH RITTER, FOX. NEWS CONTRIBUTOR CRIMINAL. DEFENSE ATTORNEY, FORMER. PROSECUTOR AND CO-HOST OF "THE. WEEKLY RAP SHEET" ON FOX NATION. FIRST, LET'S GO TO JEFF PAUL. LIVE IN TEL AVIV, ISRAEL. JEFF? >> DISCIPLINE WAS SUPPOSED TO. LAND MORE THAN NINE HOURS AGO. AND EMOTIONAL TIME NOT ONLY FOR. THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH. THIS INCIDENT, BUT ALSO FOR THE. FAMILIES WHO HAVE BEEN AT THE. AIRPORT JUST WAITING FOR THEM TO. ARRIVE ONE OF THE PASSENGERS. EVEN TELLING FOX NEWS THAT AT.

ONE POINT DURING THIS INCIDENT, THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO. DIE. WE DO UNDERSTAND THAT ISRAELI. PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN. NETANYAHU IS THERE ON THE. GROUND, AT BEN-GURION AIRPORT. HE'S GOING TO BE READING THESE. PASSENGERS. THE PASSENGERS LANDED A LITTLE. WHILE AGO. AND WE'RE TOLD THAT THEY WILL BE. SORT OF INTERVIEWED BY. AUTHORITIES. SO THEY CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND. WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED. WE ALSO KNOW THAT THEY WILL HAVE. PARAMEDICS ON SCENE FOR. TREATMENT, AND THAT MAY VERY.

WELL MAY BE THE CASE THAT PEOPLE. WILL NEED MEDICARE, GIVEN THAT. OFFICIALS SAY SEVERAL ISRAELIS. PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE TO. STOP THE ATTACKER. NOW, A LOT OF IMAGES OUT THERE. APPEAR TO SHOW A VERY BLOODY. SCENE, AS SOME OF THOSE. PASSENGERS WORKED TO CONTROL THE. INCIDENT THE ISRAELI DEFENSE. MINISTER, ISRAEL KATZ, CALLING. IT AN ATTEMPTED JIHADIST. TERRORIST ATTACK. ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN. NETANYAHU ISN'T GOING THAT FAR, CALLING IT A TERRORISM ATTACK. JUST YET. BUT HE IS SAYING THAT THE. ATTACKER HAD ONE INTENTION, AND. THAT WAS TO CRASH THE AIRCRAFT.

WITH EVERYONE ON BOARD. THEN YAHOO SAYS DURING THE. FLIGHT THEY WERE APPROACHING. ISRAEL WHEN ONE OF THE PILOTS. STARTED STABBING ANOTHER PILOT. WITNESSES ON BOARD THAT FLYDUBAI. FLIGHT SAY THE PLANE THEN. ABRUPTLY NOSEDIVED WITH SOME. ESTIMATES SHOWING IT DROPPED. 16,000 FEET IN JUST A FEW. MOMENTS. ISRAEL THEN SCRAMBLED FIGHTER. JETS, SAYING THAT IT HAD BEEN. HIJACKED. THAT PLANE, AS YOU KNOW, WAS. EVENTUALLY DIVERTED TO SAUDI.

ARABIA AND EVENTUALLY IT TOOK. BACK OFF WHERE IT NOW HAS LANDED. HERE IN TEL AVIV. WE SHOULD ALSO POINT OUT THAT. THE PILOT AND THE COPILOT. INVOLVED IN THIS ATTACK, WELL, THEY ARE BOTH IN THE HOSPITAL. NOW, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER. BENJAMIN NETANYAHU HAS SINCE. CONVENED A SECURITY CABINET. MEETING WHERE HE'S TELLING MANY. OF THE SECURITY AGENTS TO BE ON. THE LOOKOUT FOR ANY OTHER. POSSIBLE THREATS. >> Kayleigh: JEFF, THANK YOU. I WANT TO START WITH YOU. WE HAVE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE.

CRIME SCENE, WHICH HAS BEEN. LOOKED AT. I IMAGINE THEY'RE BEING. QUESTIONED, BUT I WANT TO TALK. ABOUT THE GEOPOLITICAL. CONSIDERATIONS HERE, THIS IS NOT. LIKE AN EVENT THAT, LET'S SAY, IF IT TOOK PLACE IN THE UNITED. STATES, ALL OF THE STATES WOULD. WORK TOGETHER. YOU HAVE JUST IN THE SIMPLE. EQUATION, AN AIRLINE THAT IS. BASED OUT OF UAE. THEY LANDED IN SAUDI ARABIA A. PILOT THAT WE HEAR IS OMANI AND. THEN IT WAS GOING TO ISRAEL. THESE ARE FOUR SEPARATE. COUNTRIES, MANY OF WHOM DO NOT. HAVE NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS. THIS IS GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF.

COOPERATION AMONG PEOPLE WHO. DON'T NECESSARILY COOPERATE. >> Josh: RIGHT, NOT TO MENTION. OVER WHAT OVER WHOSE AIRSPACE. ARE THEY GOING TO SAY THAT THE. ACTUAL CRIME WAS COMMITTED. THIS IS LIKE YOU'RE DOING WITH A. BOAT OUT IN INTERNATIONAL. WATERS, AND THAT KIND OF BECOMES. A MORE CLEARLY DEFINED BY THE. PEOPLE WHO WERE INVOLVED IN THE. WHOLE THING. BUT NOW YOU'VE GOT ISRAELI. PASSENGERS, SO THEY'RE VICTIMS. OF THIS. AS YOU PUT IT OUT IT'S HEADED. TOWARDS ISRAEL. IT'S ORIGINATING OUT OF DUBAI.

IT LANDS IN SAUDI ARABIA. WHO IS GOING TO MAINTAIN. JURISDICTION OVER THIS? I THINK ALSO IT BECOMES A. QUESTION OF WHAT TYPE OF A CRIME. IS IT? IF THIS IS SIMPLY AS IT WAS. INITIALLY BEING DESCRIBED JUST A. PERSONAL BEEF, THAT'S A FAR. DIFFERENT CRIME THEN IF THIS WAS. SOME SORT OF TERRORISM, WHICH I. IMAGINE WOULD AFFECT THE. DYNAMICS OF WHO WANTS TO GET. INVOLVED. HE'S CURRENTLY BEING HELD BY. ARABIA, BUT WHO WILL THEY TURN. HIM OVER TO? AND WHO WILL DEMAND EXTRADITION. OF HIM ALL OF THIS VERY COMPLEX.

AND VERY MESSY AT THIS POINT. >> Kayleigh: YEAH, WHICH MAKES. ME WONDER IF THAT PILOT, HOW. WILL THAT WORK BETWEEN SAUDI. ARABIA AND ISRAEL, WHO DO NOT. HAVE THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS. IT WAS NOTABLE THAT WHEN NAFTALI. BENNETT THANKED SAUDI. ARABIA ALLOWING THEM TO LAND. LET'S BRING IN FORMER COMMERCIAL. AIRLINE PILOT, MIKE COFIELD. YOU HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE AS. A PILOT IN THE TOP TOPIC OF. CONVERSATION WITH REGARD TO THIS. JET. HOW THESE PASSENGERS AND HOW THE. STANDBY CREW REACH THAT DOOR GOT.

IN AND LANDED HIS PLANE, YOUR. THOUGHTS, AS SOMEONE WHO IS A. LONG PILOT? >> WELL, THANK YOU FOR HAVING. ME. YOU HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THE FACT. THAT WHEN THE CAPTAIN WAS. STABBED, HE LEANED FORWARD, PUSHED THE YOKE, AND THE. AIRPLANE WENT OVER, AND WHEN IT. DID THAT, I'M GUESSING AT THAT. POINT THE FIRST OFFICER WHO WAS. THE PERPETRATOR OF THIS WAS HIT. THE RUDDER PEDALS AND THE. AIRPLANE STARTED TO SPIN. WHEN IT DID THAT, IT LOST THAT.

RUDDER. IT'S A MIRACLE THE AIRPLANE WAS. ABLE TO REGAIN SOME SEMBLANCE TO. BE ABLE TO FLY AND THEY GOT THE. COCKPIT DOOR OPEN. THEY PULLED BOTH OF THEM OUT. THERE WAS A CREW THAT GOT IN THE. AIRPLANE AND AGAIN, LUCKY AND. FORTUNATE THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO. EVEN LAND THE AIRCRAFT. NOW, THEY DID -- THE PILOT WHEN. IT OCCURRED PUT ON HIS. TRANSPONDER 7700.

THAT'S THE INTERNATIONAL. EMERGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT TO YOUR. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL GLOBALLY. HE THEN CHANGED IT TO 7,500, WHICH IS THE INTERNATIONAL. HIJACKING. SO THERE'S AN INTERESTING PIECE. HERE THAT I'M SURE THAT WILL BE. LOOKING AT. >> Kayleigh: HARRIS? >> Harris: YEAH, YOU KNOW, JUST. THAT WHOLE CHANGE OF FROM 7,000. -- 7500 AND HOW IT THEN WENT. INTO PERHAPS A CRIMINAL TYPE OF. SITUATION. I'M JUST WONDERING RIGHT NOW,

WHAT DOES THAT TRIGGER ON THE. GROUND? BECAUSE WE ALREADY KNEW THAT. THEY WERE RESPONDING WITH MEDICS. AND PARAMEDICS. I HAD A JERUSALEM POST. JOURNALIST ON LAST HOUR WHO WAS. TALKING ABOUT WHAT WAS WAITING. FOR THESE PEOPLE. BUT IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE. SOMETHING GOING ON IN THAT. PLANE, WHAT DOES THE RESPONSE. LOOK LIKE LIKELY? I MEAN, ARE YOU SHOWING UP WITH. FORCES? I'M JUST CURIOUS TO KNOW WHAT. MIGHT HAVE BEEN WAITING OUTSIDE. THAT DOOR WHEN THEY LANDED. >> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. THE DEFENSE MINISTER, SAUDI.

ARABIA, FORMER UNITED STATES. AMBASSADOR FOR SAUDI ARABIA, HE. WOULD HAVE SAID THE SPECIAL. FORCES TO THAT AIRPORT. HE HAS TAKEN PROPERLY. POSSESSION. THAT'S IN QUOTES OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT THAT IS NOT. ONLY IS HE AN ACCOMPLISHED. PILOT, BUT HE HAS A PERSONAL. RELATIONSHIP AND HIS BROTHER. WITH THE PRESIDENT. THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER, WILL. BE CRITICAL IN THIS SITUATION. IT WILL NOT SURPRISE ME IF I PUT.

MY FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY. ADVISER HAT ON IS THAT THE. PRESIDENT WILL HEAR THE COCKPIT. VOICE RECORDER SOMETIME LATER. TODAY. >> MY COACH, TWO QUESTIONS, ONE. HOW OFTEN DO YOU HAVE THESE. RELIEF PILOTS THAT THEY HAD TO. HAVE ON THE PLANE ON THESE KINDS. OF FLIGHTS AND TWO, HOW ON EARTH. DID THIS COPILOT GET A KNIFE ON. THE PLANE? >> THE FIRST ONE IS AN EASY. ANSWER TO THE FIRST ONE IS THAT. WHENEVER THE FLIGHT HAS A. CERTAIN NUMBER OF LENGTH TO IT,

IN TERMS OF TIME OF ON DUTY. THAT REQUIRED TO HAVE ADDITIONAL. PILOTS. SO THAT'S THE ANSWER TO THAT. QUESTION. IT'S THE END OF THE MONTH. THEY MAY HAVE ALSO BEEN. REASSIGNED TO A FLIGHT THAT. STARTS TOMORROW AT THE FIRST OF. THE MONTH. GETTING A KNIFE ON THE AIRPLANE, I DON'T EVEN WANT TO GO THERE. I DON'T THINK -- I MEAN, YOU. COULD DO IT THROUGH CATERING AND. MAYBE THROUGH YOU BRIBE SOMEONE. IN DUBAI. THERE'S ALL SORTS OF NEFARIOUS. WAYS, UNFORTUNATELY, TO DO THAT.

I THINK WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO. LOOK AT IS VETTING THESE GUYS. HAVE ALL BEEN VETTED ONE OF THE. NICE THINGS ABOUT AMERICAN. PILOTS IS WE'RE VETTED EVERY. SIX MONTHS. I MEAN, LOOK AT PSYCHOLOGICALLY. WHAT WE'RE DOING EVERY. SIX MONTHS THROUGH OUR. PHYSICALS, AND OF COURSE, ALL. THROUGH TO THE COMPANY'S. THE ISRAELIS RECEIVED THE. DOCUMENTATION OF WHO'S ON AND. WHO'S FLYING BEFORE THE AIRPLANE. DEPARTED IN DUBAI. NOW, THE OTHER THING THAT WILL. INTEREST YOU, TWO, AS YOU KNOW,

ON MONDAY, TURKEY, IMPOUNDED AN. IRANIAN AIRCRAFT, A 737. AND HAS KEPT IT BECAUSE OF WHAT. THEY SAY, NONPAYMENT. THE UNITED STATES HAS TOLD IRAN, HEY, WE'RE GOING TO PUT PRESSURE. ON YOU, AVIATION WISE. I THINK THE PERSON WILL BE. LOOKING AT THAT ALSO TODAY. >> COACH, I'M WONDERING ABOUT. THOSE PASSENGERS ON THE PLANE. I'M SURPRISED THEY GOT ON. ANOTHER PLANE TO GO BACK TO. ISRAEL SO QUICKLY, AND FRANKLY,

WITH THE INVESTIGATION, WHY. WOULD THEY PUT THEM ON A PLANE. SO QUICKLY TO GO BACK TO ISRAEL? I MEAN, IS THAT NOT A CRIME. SCENE? WOULD THEY NOT WANT TO DEBRIEF. THEM BEFORE THEY PUT THEM ON. ANOTHER PLANE? >> I THINK THAT THEY'RE MORE. CONCERNED WITH THE FACT THAT THE. AIRPLANE AND THE PASSENGERS, ISRAELIS WERE IN SAUDI ARABIA. AND SO I THINK THAT THAT WAS AN. IMPETUS TO MOVE THEM OVER TO TEL. AVIV AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. >> Harris: YEAH, AND WE PROBABLY. HAVE AN INDICATION, I KNOW.

KAYLEIGH MENTIONED THIS. THE DEFENSE MINISTER AND OTHERS. HAVE SAID THEY FELT, AND REALLY. THE LONE VOICE TO SAY THESE. WORDS ATTEMPTED JIHADIST TERROR. ATTACKS. SO THEY HAVE THAT THOUGHT GOING. ON ON IF IN FACT WE THEY'RE. CONSIDERING AND WE BELIEVE IT. IS, BUT IT'S NOT OFFICIAL THAT. THE OTHER PART OF THIS THAT THE. OTHER PART OF THIS IS THE FORMER. PRIME MINISTER LAST HOUR NAFTALI. BENNETT SAID TO ME, I WANT TO. TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK SAUDI. ARABIA, AND HE WENT INTO SOME. DETAIL ABOUT HOW THEY STEP IN. AND WHO HELPED OUT AND ALL THAT.

THAT'S AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT IN. ALL OF THIS. ABRAHAM ACCORDS HAVE USHERED IN. A NEW DAY, BUT THAT'S STILL THE. MIDDLE EAST. YOUR THOUGHTS? >> WITHOUT A DOUBT. I SPENT A LOT OF TIME AND WE HAD. AND A LOT OF TIME IN THAT. REGION, AS YOU KNOW, WORKING FOR. THE ADMINISTRATION, AND I THINK. THE FACT THAT THEY RESPONDED. SO QUICKLY. WOULDN'T EVEN ALLOW THE AIRPLANE. TO LAND, HIGH, RIGHT? THAT'S A BIG DEAL. AND THEN TO IMMEDIATELY TRY TO.

PROTECT THE SCENE AND PROTECT. THE ISRAELI CITIZENS AND TO SAY, LOOK, WE'RE NOT GOING TO HOLD. YOU HERE BECAUSE WE WANT TO GET. YOU BACK TO YOUR HOME AS QUICKLY. AS POSSIBLE. BECAUSE THOSE ARE POSITIVE. THINGS. I THINK WE'RE GOING TO SEE LATER. TODAY I HOPE WE SEE THAT THEY. HAVE THE VOICE RECORDER PICKED. IT'S A BOEING AIRPLANE. SO BOEING AND THE NTSB AND THE. U.S. GOVERNMENT ARE. ENTITLED NOW, THEY'RE ENTITLED. TO IT. I THINK THE SAUDIS AND THE. ISRAELIS WILL SHARE THAT WITH US.

TODAY TO GET A BETTER VIEW OF. WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN. AROUND EFFECTS ARE GOING TO LOOK. AT THESE PILOTS' LIVES AND THEIR. CHECKBOOKS AND THEIR TELEPHONES. AND ALL THE THINGS SURROUNDING. THEM, AND THE ACTIONS THAT. FLYDUBAI'S TAKEN FOR THE LAST 70. TO HOURS, AND SEVERAL WEEKS TO. FIND OUT WHERE THEY'.