A passenger from the diverted FlyDubai flight speaks to reporters
A passenger from the diverted FlyDubai flight speaks to reporters after landing at Ben Gurion Airport in Lod on Wednesday. A relief aircraft brought passengers from Saudi Arabia, landing at 1534 GMT. Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

DUBAI — FlyDubai said on Wednesday that an altercation occurred on the flight deck of Flight FZ1073 from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport, and that the aircraft diverted and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. All passengers and crew were safe and accounted for, the airline said.

The two governments' accounts of what happened diverge sharply. Israel's defense minister has called the episode an attempted jihadist terrorist attack. The Dubai-based airline says the motive is unknown and has asked all parties to refrain from speculating.

"At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation," a FlyDubai spokesperson said. "We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts."

The airline said on-duty FlyDubai crew members who were traveling aboard the flight secured the aircraft before the diversion. It deployed two replacement aircraft to Tabuk and said the incident had not affected other operations across its network. It did not address the Israeli characterization.

What Israeli officials have said

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a pilot aboard the flight stabbed another pilot and "apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board." He described it as an extremely serious security incident and said nearly all the passengers were Israeli.

Mr. Netanyahu said he had spoken to a passenger who told him the aircraft went into a spin and began diving, and that the passenger and a crew member entered the cockpit and subdued the pilot accused of the stabbing. Additional aircrew then entered and stabilized the aircraft, he said. He said the accused pilot had been detained and was being questioned by Saudi authorities.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said preliminary information indicated the alleged attacker had intended to crash the aircraft, and that the attempt was thwarted through the bravery of several Israeli passengers.

Two Israeli officials told Reuters the co-pilot was believed to have stabbed the captain before cabin crew entered the cockpit and took control, and that Israel's current assessment was that the incident may have been an attempted terror attack.

Three accounts of who secured the plane

FlyDubai says off-duty crew members traveling aboard secured the aircraft. Mr. Netanyahu says a passenger and a crew member entered the cockpit first, with aircrew following. Mr. Katz credits several Israeli passengers.

These are not necessarily contradictory — more than one group may have been involved — but they are different emphases from parties with different interests, and none has been independently established.

A passenger told Fox News that accounts among those on board remained conflicting, and said the understanding was that the co-pilot stabbed the captain and then collapsed onto the controls, shutting down the instrument panel. The aircraft plunged for several minutes, the passenger said, with overhead compartments opening and the power going out.

What has not been established

The captain and first officer were both hospitalized with injuries, according to Tabuk airport.

No motive has been established by any investigating authority. The accused pilot has not been named, and no nationality has been confirmed. FlyDubai is owned by the government of Dubai, and no statement from Emirati civil aviation authorities or the Dubai government has been reported.

The formal investigation is at an early stage, with the aircraft and the accused pilot in Saudi Arabia.