'Israel's 9/11 stopped' and 'That was a great life'

6 minutes ago

News image — Many of the papers are leading on the passengers who helped prevent a possible plane hijacking of a flight bound for Israel. The Daily Telegraph explains that on Wednesday, a Flydubai jet carrying Israelis from Dubai to Tel Aviv went into a nosedive after the pilot was stabbed by his co-pilot at 34,000 ft. Passengers were able to wrestle the suspected hijacker from the cockpit and subdue him, the paper said. It adds that "hero" passengers could have stopped "Israel's 9/11", with security sources telling the Telegraph that the "terrorist" may have been planning to crash the plane into an Israeli city.

The headline on the front page of the Daily Telegraph reads: “Hero who stopped Israel's 9/11”. — Many of the papers are leading on the passengers who helped prevent a possible plane hijacking of a flight bound for Israel. The Daily Telegraph explains that on Wednesday, a Flydubai jet carrying Israelis from Dubai to Tel Aviv went into a nosedive after the pilot was stabbed by his co-pilot at 34,000 ft. Passengers were able to wrestle the suspected hijacker from the cockpit and subdue him, the paper said. It adds that "hero" passengers could have stopped "Israel's 9/11", with security sources telling the Telegraph that the "terrorist" may have been planning to crash the plane into an Israeli city.

The headline on the front page of the Times reads: “Passengers storm cockpit to head off 'Israel's 9/11'”. — Photographs from the Flydubai flight are front and centre of the Times, which names the stabbed pilot as Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national. The paper says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed the passengers who intervened as "lions", and declared Machchhar a "true hero" of "extraordinary bravery". It adds that the prime minister has instructed authorities to "ramp up security" on flights to Israel, regardless of whether they are operated by Israeli or non-Israeli airlines.

The headline on the front page of the i Paper reads: “Hero passengers storm cockpit to save Israel flight from disaster”. — Similarly, the headline of the i Paper reads: "Hero passengers storm cockpit to save Israel flight from disaster." According to the paper, Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz has described the incident as an "attempted jihadist terror attack".

The headline on the front page of the Metro reads: “We got him!”. — "We got him!" says the Metro, alongside a photograph of the man it says "took down" the alleged attacker. It reports that the plane "plummeted 17,000 ft in two minutes" as passengers and crew attempted to subdue the knifeman. Two off-duty pilots, including one the Metro says was British, were then able to take control and safely land the plane.

The headline on the front page of the Guardian reads: “Pilot attacker tried to crash plane, says Netanyahu”. — Israeli officials who spoke to the Guardian on condition of anonymity said that the current assessment of the incident was that it was a terror attack. The alleged knifeman is Omani, they told the paper. There has been no comment on the attack from Oman, or the United Arab Emirates, where the flight was boarded. The Guardian's front page also features a tribute to broadcaster Dame Esther Rantzen, who has died at the age of 86.

The headline on the front page of the Sun reads: “That was a great life, Esther”. — "That was a great life, Esther" says the Sun, in a nod to Dame Esther's most well-known television show. The paper reports that the beloved presenter passed away on Wednesday after a three-year battle with lung cancer.

The headline on the front page of the Daily Star reads: “She was our sunshine”. — Tributes to Dame Esther also lead the Daily Star, which says the Childline founder will be remembered as "our sunshine".

The headline on the front page of the Daily Express reads: “Esther gave us 'endless capacity for joy'”. — The Daily Express focuses on the statement from Dame Esther's three "heartbroken" children, who have said their mother had an "endless capacity for love and joy". It notes that the "indefatigable campaigner" spent her final years as a "vociferous advocate of assisted dying".

The headline on the front page of the Daily Mirror reads: “Esther: See you on the other side”. — Dame Esther's own words feature in the Daily Mirror, after the note she left her grieving family prior to her death was shared with the general public. "Esther: See you on the other side" reads the paper's headline.

The headline on the front page of the Financial Times reads: “'Strong indications' Iran was involved in Fairford incident, warns Burnham”. — Andy Burnham's comments on the incident at RAF Fairford are considered by the Financial Times in its main story, after the prime minister said there were "strong indications" that Iran was involved. The paper notes that Tehran has "categorically" rejected and strongly condemned the "malicious speculations", but adds that the exact nature of what happened near Fairford "remains unclear".

The headline on the front page of the Daily Mail reads: “Kemi to stop school leavers going straight on the dole". — The Daily Mail reports Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has drawn up proposals that would require school-leavers to undergo intensive work coaching, instead of being able to immediately sign on to Universal Credit. The paper calls it a "bid to stop young lives being wasted".

Pictures of the stabbed captain of the Flydubai jet - covered in blood and wearing an oxygen mask - appear on some of the front pages. According to the Times, the Israeli prime minister has called Smit Machchhar a "true hero" - after his co-pilot allegedly attacked him in a suspected attempt to crash the plane. The Daily Telegraph pictures Benjamin Netanyahu greeting a passenger who helped regain control of the flight. The paper describes how Yaniv Hayun confronted the attacker in the cockpit, and "pulled him outside" before rushing back in to steady the plane. The i Paper says Israel has now increased security checks on pilots flying into the country.

The Guardian reports that senior Downing Street officials have been contacting think tanks and pollsters "as they look to test public support for the UK rejoining the EU". It says some in Number 10 are "nervous" that promising to negotiate re-entry to the bloc could "revive the flagging political fortunes of [Reform UK leader] Nigel Farage". The Financial Times notes that Brussels has "other priorities", including "the rise of Marine Le Pen in France and the Eurosceptic far right in Germany, Spain and Italy". The Daily Mail pokes fun at the suggestion Britain could reverse Brexit. Its Pugh cartoon features a couple watching Celebrity Traitors with the caption "apparently one of them wants to rejoin Europe and the faithfuls have to work out who it is."

Dame Esther Rantzen is remembered on many of the front pages. The Sun goes with the headline "that was a great life, Esther". The Daily Express, which championed the broadcaster's call to legalise assisted dying, describes her as an "indefatigable campaigner". In its inside write-up, The Daily Mirror notes her break in TV "came by accident" when a producer decided to put her on screen while she was still a researcher. The paper says while she "never meant to be a star", she used her fame to "become a tireless champion for young and old alike".

'Israel's 9/11 stopped' and 'That was a great life'

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