Israel vows to get to the root of flydubai cockpit attack as UAE opens probe

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that the co-pilot who stabbed the captain of an Israel-bound flydubai jet had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination and appeared suicidal, in what officials described as an attempt to bring the aircraft down.

Disaster was averted on Wednesday aboard flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The wounded captain managed to unlock the cockpit door, and passengers subdued the attacker. A reserve crew already on board then landed the jet, carrying more than 170 people, at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia.

Tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the aircraft dropping more than 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds while over Saudi airspace.

“We know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination. That appears to be something we are gathering from his personal information,” Netanyahu told Fox News. He said it looked “very likely” the co-pilot meant to down the plane, and that signs of radicalization in his background were “a pretty good clue.” He added that he was not drawing a final conclusion.

Two Israeli security officials said Israel’s early assessment was that the co-pilot — identified by Israel as an Omani national — was probably acting alone. The inquiry was still open. Oman has not commented. Asked about possible Iranian involvement, Netanyahu said it was too early to say. Israeli officials have not publicly alleged an Iranian role, and the two security officials said none had been identified so far.

The United Arab Emirates has opened an investigation into the circumstances and motives, including whether the episode was tied to terrorist activity or involved prior planning or direction, the UAE state news agency reported.

Israel’s envoy to the UAE, Yossi Shelley, told Reuters it was too soon for conclusions and that no motive had been fixed. Another Israeli official said Israel was not getting all the information it wanted from Saudi authorities, and that Mossad and Shin Bet were also examining the case.

In its first public comment, Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry said both pilots were treated in hospital and, after medical clearance, left for Abu Dhabi on Thursday morning. Riyadh said it had carried out the preliminary inquiry with Emirati security teams, and that the early findings indicated the co-pilot assaulted the captain, forcing the emergency landing in Tabuk.

With the co-pilot now in the UAE, Netanyahu spokesperson David Mencer said Israeli investigators could join the Emirati team and examine motive, possible backers, and planning.

Netanyahu also said Israeli rules bar pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel from operating such flights, and that the co-pilot had nonetheless cleared that screen.

Defence Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that preliminary information pointed to an intent to crash the aircraft and called the co-pilot a terrorist. Netanyahu described the episode only as “a serious security incident.” Iran’s mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The attack landed weeks before Israel’s first election since the Hamas-led assaults of October 7, 2023, with security already central to the campaign. The United States and Israel struck Iran in February in a conflict that spread quickly to the Gulf and to Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting Hezbollah.

Netanyahu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar. India’s embassy in the UAE said he was recovering well. Israel also commended passengers who overpowered the attacker.

One of them, Yaniv Hayun, said he ran to the cockpit as the jet nosedived. “We pulled the assailant out… After I pulled him out we took control of the plane, I pulled up the yoke, I straightened the plane out a bit,” he told reporters after returning to Israel.

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