Flydubai Attack Live Updates: Netanyahu Says Flydubai Co-Pilot Was Radicalised
Speaking to Fox News, Netanyahu said the alleged attacker was being interrogated and that investigators had already gathered information pointing towards radicalisation.
“The attacker, the co-pilot who attacked the captain, is now being interrogated. But here’s what we do know is that the attacker underwent Islamist radical indoctrination. This is what we have gathered from the initial information,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu also stopped short of presenting the investigation as complete. He said authorities were still examining the evidence and did not rule out other possibilities.
When asked whether Iran had any involvement, Netanyahu said it was “too early to say”. Reuters also reported that the motive behind the incident remained under investigation.
Flydubai Attack Live Updates: Did the Co-Pilot Try To Crash the Plane?
The alleged attack happened while Flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with more than 170 people on board.
According to Israeli officials and reports based on flight-tracking data, the aircraft suffered a rapid loss of altitude during the confrontation inside the cockpit. Al Jazeera reported that the plane dropped nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds, while other reports have described the descent as roughly 17,000 feet.
Netanyahu said the available evidence made an attempted crash appear likely.
“It looks very likely that he was going to down the plane,” Netanyahu said.
He added that the alleged attacker repeatedly shouted after pᴀssengers restrained him.
“calling out to the aircrew ‘kill me, kill me’, so it’s clear he was suicidal that’s not a question”.
Netanyahu then linked those comments with the alleged radicalisation findings, while stressing that investigators had not yet reached a final conclusion.
“And with all the pᴀssengers in there, and if you couple that with what I just told you about the Islamist tendencies, that radicalisation that were found in his background, I think … that’ll give us a pretty good clue but again I don’t make final conclusions yet but that’s the indications we have now.”
Flydubai Attack Live Updates: What Happened Inside Flydubai Flight FZ1073?
The flight departed Dubai International Airport for Ben Gurion Airport in Israel on September 30.
During the flight, the co-pilot allegedly attacked Captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit. The Indian captain was injured but managed to open the cockpit door, allowing pᴀssengers and other crew members to intervene.
Pᴀssengers eventually restrained the alleged attacker. Other pilots who were travelling on the aircraft then helped take control of the situation, allowing the plane to divert to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
The pᴀssengers were later transported onward to Israel.
The UAE has now ordered a formal investigation to establish exactly what happened and why.
The UAE Attorney General said investigators would “collect information and evidence to determine the truth of the incident, its circumstances, details, and motives, and to verify the extent of its connection to any terrorist activity or purpose, or the existence of prior planning or direction for it”.
Flydubai Attack Live Updates: Fellow Pilot Describes Omani Co-Pilot
A fellow Flydubai pilot also provided an account of the alleged attacker to Israeli media.
According to the pilot, the Omani co-pilot joined Flydubai around eight months ago and displayed what the colleague described as extreme religious behaviour.
“He prayed excessively throughout the day and refused to shake hands with women,” he added.
These claims have not independently established the co-pilot’s motive or confirmed that his religious behaviour was connected to the cockpit attack. The investigation into his background and possible motive remains ongoing.
Flydubai itself has urged authorities and the public to avoid drawing premature conclusions while investigators examine the incident.
Flydubai Attack Live Updates: Captain Smit Machchhar Recovering After Attack
Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, was injured during the cockpit confrontation and received medical treatment in Saudi Arabia.
India’s ambᴀssador to the UAE, Deepak Mittal, visited Machchhar in hospital. The Indian mission said the pilot was in good health and recovering.
Machchhar has been praised by both Netanyahu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his role during the emergency.
Israeli officials said his actions helped pᴀssengers and crew regain access to the cockpit and prevent a potentially catastrophic outcome.
Flydubai Attack Live Updates: Why Did Flydubai Suspend Israel Flights?
The incident has also affected air travel between the UAE and Israel.
Flydubai temporarily suspended its flights to and from Israel while authorities continued their investigation. The airline said the suspension would allow officials to establish the facts surrounding the incident.
Israel has also indicated that it could strengthen security checks involving pilots operating flights into the country.
The incident has raised broader questions about how pilots are screened and cleared to operate commercial aircraft. Flydubai is regulated in the UAE, with the country’s General Civil Aviation Authority responsible for the operator’s certification and safety oversight.
Flydubai Attack Live Updates: What Happens Next in the Flydubai FZ1073 Investigation?
The investigation now involves multiple countries because the aircraft was operated by a UAE airline, the alleged attacker is an Omani national, the injured captain is Indian, the flight was carrying mostly Israeli pᴀssengers and the aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi authorities have questioned the alleged attacker, while Israel and the UAE are conducting their own investigations.
The key questions include whether the co-pilot acted alone, what triggered the cockpit attack, whether he planned the alleged crash attempt beforehand and whether investigators can establish any link to terrorist activity.