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'Israel's 9/11 stopped' and 'That was a great life'Published1 hour agoImage caption, 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.Image caption, 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.Image caption, 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". Image caption, "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.Image caption, 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.Image caption, "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.Image caption, Tributes to Dame Esther also lead the Daily Star, which says the Childline founder will be remembered as "our sunshine".Image caption, 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".Image caption, 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.Image caption, 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".Image caption, 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".Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox.Related Internet LinksDaily ExpressDaily MailDaily MirrorDaily StarDaily TelegraphFinancial TimesGuardianIndependentMetroSunThe iTimes
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