US President Donald Trump said he was told an Israeli plumber helped prevent a FlyDubai jet from crashing after a co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and tried to seize control of the Israel-bound aircraft.

Axar.az reports, citing ABC 4, that Trump described the incident as “an incredible story” during an unrelated news conference at the White House on Wednesday.

Trump said he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "at length" about the attack. He said Netanyahu told him an Israeli passenger, identified as a plumber, entered the cockpit, pulled the co-pilot away from the controls, and helped level the aircraft as it descended sharply.

"In a way, he was a hero," Trump said of the alleged plumber, adding that the man apparently never flew a plane before.

Trump cautioned that he could not independently verify every detail of the account.

“That's the story that I heard. I don't know if it's true," Trump said.

Israeli officials said the co-pilot was arrested. Both pilots were hospitalized.

"It seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist -- or perhaps a whack job," Trump said.

It was not clear what motivated the attack, which led Israel to scramble warplanes amid concerns about a possible hijacking.

Passengers and crew members entered the cockpit and subdued the attacker, according to Netanyahu and witnesses. FlyDubai said the aircraft was secured by on-duty crew members traveling on the flight and diverted safely.

The United Arab Emirates’ aviation authority said it opened an investigation into the incident, while FlyDubai temporarily suspended flights to and from Israel.

Netanyahu praised the passengers and crew members who intervened, saying their actions prevented a potentially catastrophic crash.

It should be noted that a Flydubai aircraft flying from the UAE to Tel Aviv issued an emergency signal over suspicions of a hijacking. It was later reported that a fight had broken out between the pilots on board.