Key takeaways:
- Passengers subdued the co-pilot after the plane dropped more than 17,000 feet; two off-duty pilots helped land it in Saudi Arabia.
- The captain was wounded, but no passengers were seriously injured among the 174 people aboard.
- The co-pilot remained in Saudi custody Thursday as the UAE investigated whether the attack had a terrorist link.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said investigators believe a co-pilot who allegedly stabbed the captain of a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination.” Authorities have not established a motive for the attack, which ended with passengers and crew subduing the co-pilot and the plane landing safely in Saudi Arabia.
The Flydubai flight was carrying 174 people when the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain on Wednesday and tried to crash the aircraft. The plane dropped more than 17,000 feet (5,200 meters) about two hours after takeoff. According to CBS News, the wounded captain fought off the co-pilot long enough to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers to overpower him. Two off-duty pilots aboard the flight then took control and made an emergency landing at Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
No passengers were seriously injured, CBS News reported. The captain suffered stab wounds, and Saudi authorities said two crew members were hospitalized with unspecified injuries. India’s mission in the United Arab Emirates said Thursday that the captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, was “in good health and recovering well” after a visit by India’s ambassador to the UAE, Deepak Mittal. Netanyahu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi both called him a “hero.”
Netanyahu told Fox News the available indications made it “very likely” that the co-pilot “was going to down the plane.” He said the man called out “kill me, kill me” after being restrained, but cautioned that he was not making a final determination about what happened. Asked whether Iran was involved, Netanyahu said, “It’s too early to say.”
Netanyahu told CBS News that the incident looked “like a suicide attempt.” CBS News reported that he later told Fox News investigators had gathered “personal information” pointing to radical indoctrination, without providing details. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called the incident “an attempted jihadist terror attack.” An Israeli security official told CBS News that authorities were examining whether the co-pilot acted alone and whether the incident could have been an attempted Sept. 11-style attack.
The co-pilot has not been publicly identified. Netanyahu said he was an Omani national; an Omani official confirmed to CBS News that the man was born in Oman and holds Omani citizenship, though Oman’s government has not publicly confirmed his nationality.
The suspect remained in Saudi custody Thursday. Netanyahu said he expected a transfer to the UAE, while a senior Israeli official told CBS News that the UAE’s president had raised that prospect with Netanyahu. The UAE says it has jurisdiction because the aircraft is registered there and flies under its flag. Its state news agency said investigators were examining whether the incident had any terrorist link or purpose. Netanyahu said Israeli authorities intended to join the questioning.
Flydubai suspended its Dubai-Tel Aviv flights while it investigates. Israel’s Transportation Ministry said Israeli airlines planned flights from Dubai starting Friday to bring stranded passengers home and that it had asked Etihad to add flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.
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