Survivors return to Israel after violent cockpit ATTACK

"THE FAULKNER FOCUS.". HAVE A GREAT DAY, EVERYBODY. >> Harris: BREAKING NEWS T THIS. HOUR OF "THE FAULKNER FOCUS.". I'M HARRIS FAULKNER. WE ARE WATCHING THE AIRPORT IN. TEL AVIV, ISRAEL RIGHT NOW. PASSENGERS WHO SURVIVED A BLOODY. DISTURBANCE ON BOARD THEIR. FLIGHT BOUND FOR ISRAEL ARE SET. TO LAND ON A DIFFERENT PLANE. NOW. THEY ARE BRINGING THEM HOME. THAT HAPPENS VERY SOON. THE ORIGINAL FLIGHT FROM DUBAI. TO ISRAEL, THE PLANE HAD TO MAKE.

AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN SAUDI. ARABIA. BOTH PILOTS WERE HOSPITALIZED. PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN. NETANYAHU NOW SAYS THE CO-PILOT. APPARENTLY TRIED TO CRASH THE. PLANE WITH EVERYBODY ON BOARD. FAMILIES ARE WAITING TO SEE. THEIR LOVED ONES. WHEN THEY LAND AT THE AIRPORT. THAT WE'RE WATCHING NOW. THE AIRLINE SAYS ALL PASSENGERS. ARE SAFE AND ACCOUNTED FOR FROM. THAT FLIGHT. HOWEVER, MAJOR QUESTIONS ARE NOW. POPPING UP ABOUT EXACTLY WHAT. HAPPENED IN THE COCKPIT AND NOW. WE ARE GETTING NEW INFORMATION.

MINUTE-BY-MINUTE. THE FLIGHT MADE ITS WAY FROM. DUBAI TO ISRAEL TRACKING DATA. SHOW A MASSIVE ALTITUDE PLUNGE. LOOK AT THIS. THE PLANE DIVERTED TO SAUDI. ARABIA. ISRAEL SCRAMBLED FIGHTER JETS. OVER FEARS OF A HIJACKING OR. TERROR ATTACK. NOW PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU IS. SHARING AN ACCOUNT HE SAYS HE. HEARD DIRECTLY FROM A PASSENGER. >> ONE OF THE PILOTS STABBED THE. OTHER PILOT AND APPARENTLY TRIED. TO CRASH THE PLANE WITH EVERYONE.

ON BOARD. I SPOKE WITH ONE OF THE ISRAELI. PASSENGERS. HE TOLD ME THE PLANE WAS IN A. DIVE. HE TOLD ME THAT AGAINST ALL ODDS. HE MANAGED TO BREAK INTO THE. COCKPIT TOGETHER WITH ONE OF THE. CREW MEMBERS AND THEY GOT THE. PILOT WHO CARRIED OUT THE. STABBING AS HE WAS TRYING TO. SABOTAGE THE AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS. >> Harris: THIS PHOTO SHOWS A. PASSENGER WITH BLOOD ON HIS. SHIRT. ONE MOTHER SAYS HER DAUGHTER.

DESCRIBED A VIOLENT STRUGGLE ON. BOARD. >> HE TOOK A KNIFE AND TRIED TO. KILL THE PILOT. THE SECOND PILOT ON THE FLIGHT. THERE WAS A LOT OF BLOOD AROUND. >> Harris: VICE ADMIRAL AND A. JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT COMING.

UP IN "FOCUS.". I WANT TO BEGIN THE FOREIGN. CORRESPONDENT JEFF PAUL IN TEL. AVIV. THAT PLANE TOOK OFF 35 MINUTES. AGO. >> WE'RE WAITING FOR IT TO. ARRIVE. WHILE WE DO WE GOT AN UPDATE. FROM ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER. KATZ SAYING IT WAS A SERIOUS. INCIDENT DESCRIBING IT AS AN. ATTEMPTED JIHADIST TERROR. ATTACK. AS YOU LOOK AT BLOODY PASSENGERS. WHO TRIED TO STOP THIS ATTACK, KATZ SAID IT WAS THWARTED BY THE.

BRAVERY OF SEVERAL ISRAELI. PASSENGERS WHO BROKE INTO THE. COCKPIT. NOW ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER. BENJAMIN NETANYAHU SAYS DURING. THE FLIGHT, THEY WERE. APPROACHING ISRAEL WHEN ONE OF. THE PILOTS STABBED THE OTHER. PILOT. HE SAYS ACCORDING TO PRELIMINARY. INFORMATION THE ATTACKER HAD ONE. INTENTION, TO CRASH THE AIRCRAFT. WITH EVERYBODY ON BOARD. A BLOODY SCENE ON BOARD AS. PASSENGERS TRIED TO GET THINGS. UNDER CONTROL. THE INCIDENT INCLUDED FLYDUBAI.

FLIGHT FZ1073 FLYING FROM DUBAI. TO TEL AVIV THIS MORNING. AFTER 2 1/2 ORDER IT SIGNALED AN. EMERGENCY ON BOARD. IT WAS THEN THE PLANE DESCENDED. RAPIDLY, 16,000 FEET. ISRAEL SCRAMBLED FIGHTER JETS. FEARING THAT THAT PLANE HAD BEEN. HIJACKED. THE FLIGHT LANDED SAFELY AFTER. BEING DIVERTED TO SAUDI ARABIA. THE PLANE WAS SECURED BY AN ON. DUTY CREW TRAVELING ON THE.

FLIGHT. WE ALSO KNOW THE PILOT AND THE. CO-PILOT INVOLVED HAVE SINCE. BEEN HOSPITALIZED. DURING OUR LAST GLANCE AT THE. FLIGHT BOARD ISRAELI PASSENGERS. WERE ON THAT FLIGHT. YOU CAN IMAGINE MANY OF THE. FAMILY MEMBERS WHO WERE. EXPECTING THIS FLIGHT TO LAND. SEVERAL HOURS EARLIER TODAY, MORNING TIME HERE IN TEL AVIV, THEY CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THEIR. LOVED ONES BUT TALK TO THEM AND. GET A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION AS. TO WHY THIS HAPPENED. HARRIS. >> Harris: I DO WANT TO FOLLOW. UP ON WHAT WE KNOW FROM WHAT.

KATZ WAS SAYING ATTEMPTED. JIHADIST TERROR ATTACK. THOSE WORDS FROM HIM. WE WERE ABLE TO CONFIRM THE VERY. LATEST. OF COURSE, IT IS IN THE AIR. RIGHT NOW, THE PLANE THAT IS. BRINGING PASSENGERS BACK TO. ISRAEL. THE ARRIVAL IS NOW SCHEDULED FOR. 11:25 EASTERN TIME HERE. THAT FLIGHT THAT IS COMING IN TO. WHERE YOU ARE. ANY COMMENT ON THAT AND THEN. LET'S GET TO WHAT KATZ IS. SAYING. >> IT'S A SHORT FLIGHT. WHERE THEY WERE IN SAUDI ARABIA.

IS VERY WESTERN SO IT IS ABOUT. 45, 50 MINUTES, MAYBE TAKES A. LITTLE BIT LONGER GIVEN WHAT. HAPPENED TODAY. WE ALSO KNOW THAT ISRAEL HAS PUT. PEOPLE IN PLACE, MEDICS, PARAMEDICS JUST IN CASE ANYBODY. HAS SUFFERED ANY INJURIES OR. NEEDS TO GET CHECKED OUT. OBVIOUSLY MANY FAMILIES THERE. JUST WANTING TO SEE THEIR LOVED. ONES AND THANKFUL IT ENDED THIS. WAY AND NOT WHAT COULD HAVE. HAPPENED ACCORDING TO ISRAELI. OFFICIALS SAYING IT SOUNDS LIKE. THIS CO-PILOT WAS TRYING TO.

DELIBERATELY NOSE-DIVE THE PLANE. AND CRASH IT ACCORDING TO. ISRAELI OFFICIALS. >> Harris: ONE OF THOSE. OFFICIALS KATZ SAID AN ATTEMPTED. JIHADIST TERROR ATTACK. POTENTIALLY IS WHAT THEY ARE. LOOKING AT. WHAT HAVE THEY DONE THAT YOU. KNOW OF IN RESPONSE TO SOMETHING. LIKE THIS BEING THE POTENTIAL? >> IN TERMS OF TRYING TO FIGURE. OUT WHAT HAPPENED AND WHY, I'M. SURE THEY WILL BE LISTENING TO. WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THAT. COCKPIT DURING THE FLIGHT AND. DURING THE FIGHT THAT BROKE OUT.

BETWEEN THESE TWO, BOTH ISRAELI. PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN. NETANYAHU AND ISRAELI DEFENSE. MINISTER KATZ SAYING THEY. BELIEVE THIS PILOT WAS TRYING TO. DELIBERATELY CRASH THE PLANE. NOW KATZ IT IS IMPORTANT TO. POINT OUT IS THE O ONLY ONE. CALLING IT AN ATTEMPTED. TERRORIST ATTACK. ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN. NETANYAHU NOT USING THAT WORD. JUST YET AS HE WAITS ON MORE. INFORMATION TO COME IN. >> Harris: I'M WONDERING WHAT. THE SECURITY LEVEL AND ALL OF. THAT. MAYBE THAT HASN'T HAPPENED YET.

AND WE'RE STILL WATCHING TO SEE. JEFF PAUL. WE'RE A FEW MINUTES AWAY FROM. WHEN THE PLANE -- UPDATE ON THE. 11:25 EASTERN LANDING AND WE'LL. GO BACK AS THE PASSENGERS BEGIN. TO GET OFF THAT PLANE. IMAGINE ALL THE PEOPLE WAITING. FOR THAT THERE AND AROUND THE. WORLD AS WE WATCH IT. IN "FOCUS" WITH ME NOW A. DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT AT THE. JERUSALEM POST AND VICE ADMIRAL. HARWOOD FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR.

OF CENTRAL COMMAND. I APPRECIATE BOTH OF YOU JOINING. ME AT THE SAME TIME. FIRST OF ALL, VICE ADMIRAL, I. WANT TO COME TO YOU AND GET YOUR. REACTION TO WHAT IS GOING ON. THERE IS A HUGE BACK DROP IN THE. MIDDLE EAST BEHIND THIS. SET THE STAGE FOR US. >> WELL, THERE ARE TWO THINGS TO. THINK ABOUT HERE, FIRST IS THIS. ACTUALLY A JIHADIST EVENT? THEY HAVE TO DO THE ANALYSIS AND. HOW SO HOW WAS IT GUIDED AND HOW. DID THIS PILOT GET A WEAPON ON.

THE AIRCRAFT? THAT'S THE PROBLEM. THIRD AND WE'VE SEEN THIS SINCE. 9/11 IN SEVERAL AIRCRAFT. INCIDENTS, THIS WAS AN INSIDER. THREAT. SO SINCE 9/11 WHEN WE BLOCKED. THE COCKPIT SO NO ONE CAN GET. IN, THANK GOD THE CREW AND. PEOPLE HAD ACCESS TO THE COCKPIT. TO STOP THIS INSIDER THREAT. SO I THINK THAT POLICY MAY BE. REVIEWED AS WELL. WHAT WAS THE NATIONALITY OF THIS.

PILOT? I'M HERE IN ABU DHABI AND WE. KNOW NATIONAL OF PILOTS ARE PART. OF THE SCREENING PROCESS. DID SOME POLICY AND SECURITY. ISSUES GET BY? ALL THOSE THINGS WILL BE LOOKED. AT CLOSELY IN NEAR ORDER AND. IMPLEMENT POLICIES NOW TO INSURE. THERE IS NOT A REPEAT OFFENDER. WAITING TO LOAD AND GO NOW. >> Harris: TELL ME WHAT YOU.

WANT, WHAT YOU ARE LEARNING. >> I THINK WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND. THE MIRACLE THAT WE SAW HERE. IT IS NOT JUST THE FACT THAT. THIS HIJACK WAS STOPPED AT THE. END. THE SIMPLE FACT THAT THE PLANE. FELL ABOUT, YOU KNOW, 4,000. METERS IN 29 SECONDS AND THE. TAIL WAS HURT. OTHER INSTRUMENTS INSIDE THE. PLANE. THINK ABOUT THIS, THE TWO PILOTS. COULDN'T FLY THE PLANE. LUCKILY YOU HAD INSIDE OTHER.

ISRAELIS WHO TOOK CONTROL OF. THIS. THERE WERE TWO PILOTS ON A. REGULAR TRAINING PROGRAM OF. FLYDUBAI THAT COULD HAVE GONE. INTO THE COCKPIT AND MANAGED TO. LEARN THIS PLANE IN SAUDI. ARABIA. THE MIRACLE WAS NOT JUST TO TAKE. OUT THE PILOT WHO TRIED TO CRASH. THIS PLANE, BUT THE FACT THAT. THIS PLANE LANDED SAFELY ON THE. GROUND IS A HUGE MIRACLE REALLY. THE PILOTS ARE VERY EXPERIENCED. THAT WERE THERE AND MANAGED TO.

DO SOMETHING AND REALLY VERY. PROBLEMATIC TIMES AND ISSUES. WITH THE PLANE. THAT'S ONE THING WE DO NEED TO. SPEAK ABOUT, THE FACT THAT THERE. WERE TWO PILOTS ON BOARD. IT COULD HAVE TAKEN CONTROL OF. THE PLANE. IS -- THERE IS USUAL A FIRE. MARSHAL ON BOARD.

WHEN THEY COME TO ISRAEL THE. STORY THERE IS A VETTING, SOME. KIND OF VETTING ON THE PILOTS. AND THE QUESTION RIGHT NOW. BECAUSE IT IS OMANI PILOT. ISRAEL DOESN'T HAVE RELATIONS. THERE IS AN INVESTIGATION ABOUT. HOW EXACTLY DID A PILOT OF A. COUNTRY WITH NO RELATIONS WITH. ISRAEL MANAGE TO BE A PILOT ON. THIS KIND OF FLIGHT? DID SOMEONE SEND HIM? DID HE GET ORDERS FROM SOMEONE? THIS IS THE INVESTIGATION.

MASS OD IS LOOKING. WHAT. >> Harris: WHAT KIND OF. INTELLIGENCE WE GET FROM THAT. PART OF THE WORLD OR ANYTHING. AMERICA NEEDS TO DO RIGHT NOW. AND ALREADY BEING DONE OR WE. DON'T KNOW? >> MORE THAN JUST MASSOD. THE ABILITY TO SHARE.

INTELLIGENCE ACROSS. NATIONALITIES IN THE AIRLINE HAS. BEEN ONE OF THOSE THINGS WE'VE. MADE GREAT PROGRESS ON. AND I CAN TELL YOU THIS, THOUGH, THE PROCEDURES THAT COME OUT OF. THIS, THIS MIRACLE, WHAT CAN WE. DO TO O INSURE THAT IT IS NOT A. MIRACLE AND WE CAN PREVENT THIS. INSIDER THREAT INSIDE THE. COCKPIT BASED ON NATIONALITY, BASED ON INTELLIGENCE AND OTHER. MEASURES, MAYBE ARMING PILOTS. AND CO-PILOTS WITH TASERS AS.

WELL AS AIR MARSHAL, NOT ONLY. ISRAELIS BUT U.S. AND OTHERS WHO. HAVE NON-KINETIC CAN RESOLVE IT. WITHOUT INJURY AS THIS PILOT WAS. ABLE TO STAB ANOTHER. AGAIN, THERE WILL BE A GREAT. LOOK AT THIS FROM ALL ANGLES, SECURITY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES. TO INSURE THAT WE CAN PREVENT. THESE SORT OF ATTACKS AND WE. HAVE THE MECHANISMS IN PLACE BE. IT ANOTHER PILOT OR SECURITY TO.

INSURE IT IS NOT A MIRACLE, WHICH THIS WAS, BUT IN THE. FUTURE WE'VE TAKEN ALL THE. POLICIES AND PROGRAMS TO INSURE. WE CAN PREVENT THIS SORT OF. ACTIVITY BE IT TERRORIST OR. OTHER REASON. >> Harris: YOU KNOW, AS YOU ARE. TALKING I'M LISTENING TO YOU AND. IT IS SO WISE BEING VERY CAREFUL. WHAT WE DON'T KNOW. I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT BECAUSE. THERE ARE COUNTRIES IN THAT. REGION WHO HAVE BEEN ON EDGE. BECAUSE OF THE CONFLICT WITH. IRAN AND ITS SHOOTING ITS. NEIGHBORS AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT.

IS HAPPENING. WE KNOW THIS ABOUT AN ENEMY, THEY WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ANY. POINT OF CHAOS WHETHER THEY. CAUSED IT OR NOT. YOUR THOUGHTS. >> EXACTLY RIGHT. MUCH OF THIS IDEOLOGY AND IT. LEVERAGES EVERY INCIDENT AND ALL. THE MESSAGING TO CONTINUE TO. PUSH THEIR AGENDA AND SO AGAIN, THE FACTS NEED TO BE UNDERSTOOD. WE NEED TO BE CLEAR, WE NEED TO. BE CONCISE AND WE HAVE TO.

UNDERMINE THEIR MESSAGE WITH THE. TRUTH. I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY. THAT'S WHERE ALL THE REGIONAL. PARTNERS ARE ALIGNED AND WHERE. WE WILL HAVE OUR MOST SUCCESS. NOT ONLY COMBATING THIS EVENT, IF IT IS A JIHADIST EVENT, BUT. THE WHOLE IDEA OF RADICAL ISLAM. THAT IS THREATENING NOT ONLY THE. REGION BUT US AND ALL OUR. ALLIES. THIS IS THE MESSAGING FIGHT, THE.

IDEOLOGY BATTLE WE ARE IN EVERY. DAY. >> Harris: THANK YOU BOTH FOR. TALKIN.