Fox News issued an on-air apology after the network aired footage from the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, while discussing a suspected hijacking attempt aboard a flight bound for Israel.
The misstep occurred during Wednesday’s broadcast of Fox & Friends as the hosts read reports about FlyDubai Flight FZ1073, which was flying from Dubai to Israel when a pilot reportedly stabbed his co-pilot. During the chaos, the plane reportedly descended about 13,000 feet in 30 seconds.
The Boeing 737 plane — which Israeli media said had around 150 Israeli passengers on board — landed at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The pilot was arrested and interrogated, officials said.
While Jeff Paul, Fox’s national correspondent, delivered live updates on the alleged hijacking attempt, a 25-year-old video briefly played alongside him.
The footage depicted Shanksville, Pennsylvania, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field in the borough, killing 40 civilians and four al-Qaeda hijackers on board. Passengers and staff, realizing that other hijacked planes had been flown into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, had fought back against the hijackers.
“SHANKSVILLE, PA Sept. 11, 2001,” a caption on the clip stated.
Shortly afterwards, Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade offered up an apology.
“A half hour ago when we came on the air, we were just getting the latest on this story, we aired some footage unrelated,” he said.
“We apologize for any confusion,” Kilmeade continued. “We’re still also trying to make sense of what just took place. So you got this flight in the air leaving the UAE, heading to Israel, that was forced to go down in Saudi Arabia.”
Passengers traveling on the Flydubai flight on Wednesday described harrowing scenes after an unidentified co-pilot was reportedly stabbed and the plane rapidly descended.
“We’re here during the hijacking of an airplane,” one passenger, whose face was coated in blood, posted to social media. “At this point we’ve subdued the terrorists, we’re approaching landing. Whoever is hearing me, we need help.”
“There were stabbings and a lot of blood,” another passenger relayed to Channel 12. “We’re very emotional and under terrible stress, it’s very difficult for me to talk.”
Following the suspected hijacking, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement about the incident.
“During the flight, as they were approaching Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and, apparently, tried to crash the plane with its passengers on board,” he said.
“I spoke with one of the Israeli passengers,” Netanyahu added. “He told me that the plane went into a spin and began to descend. He told me that, somehow, he managed to break into the cockpit with one of the crew members and, together, they overpowered the pilot who had carried out the stabbing while he was attempting to sabotage the aircraft's systems.”
The prime minister said that the aircraft — with the assistance of “another air crew” — landed safely in Saudi Arabia. The pilot, he said, was arrested “and is currently being questioned by the Saudi authorities.”
In a statement provided to The Independent, FlyDubai said that crew on board the flight helped to secure the plane and to divert and land it safely.
“At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation,” the statement said. “We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts.”
