Saudi and Emirati investigations are continuing into the Flydubai aircraft incident that saw the plane make an emergency landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk after the co-pilot attacked the captain inside the cockpit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that it would be possible to determine within days whether the co-pilot had links to Iran, while stressing that the investigations had not yet reached final conclusions.
Netanyahu suggests ideologically motivated attack
In a television interview, Netanyahu said the co-pilot had undergone “extreme ideological indoctrination”. He said preliminary information suggested that the co-pilot who attacked the captain had sought to bring down the aircraft with its passengers on board, but stressed that it was too early to determine whether there was a link to Iran.
In an earlier statement, he added that Israel would reach the “roots” of the incident, before stressing that it was “too early to say definitively that the incident was linked to Iran”. The Israeli prime minister praised the intervention of passengers and pilots on board the flight to help save the aircraft, and confirmed that there was co-operation with the UAE in the investigation.
UAE forms team to investigate incident
His comments came as the relevant authorities worked to establish what happened inside the cockpit and determine the co-pilot’s motives, including whether the incident was connected to prior planning or direction. In the UAE, the public prosecutor ordered the formation of a team of public prosecution members to investigate the Flydubai flight incident. The flight was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
The team was tasked with taking the necessary steps to collect information and evidence, establishing the circumstances, details and motives of the incident, and examining whether it could be linked to any terrorist activity or purpose, or whether it had been planned or directed in advance. The UAE public prosecutor said the investigation was still under way and urged people to avoid speculation and the circulation of unreliable information about the incident before the relevant authorities had completed their procedures.
Aircraft makes emergency landing in Tabuk
In Saudi Arabia, authorities are continuing their investigation, while the aircraft remains at Tabuk Airport. The affected aircraft’s passengers were also dealt with in accordance with international protocols. The incident occurred on Wednesday morning aboard flight FZ 1073, which had departed Dubai Airport on a routine flight to Ben Gurion International Airport.
Flydubai said an altercation had taken place inside the cockpit before developing into a serious incident that forced the crew to change the aircraft’s course and make an emergency landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, north-western Saudi Arabia. According to information related to the incident, the co-pilot, who was Omani, attacked the Indian captain using an emergency axe that was part of the aircraft’s equipment.
The implement was not brought on to the aircraft from outside. The co-pilot used one of the emergency tools on board, rather than a weapon or prohibited item carried through security screening at Dubai Airport. The captain was injured during the confrontation but resisted the attack and tried to prevent his co-pilot from taking control of the aircraft.
Another pilot who was travelling on the flight as part of the crew intervened and helped contain the situation and regain control of the cockpit. Once the aircraft had been secured, the crew focused on protecting the passengers and keeping the flight away from any further danger. It decided to divert to Tabuk, enabling the captain to save around 150 passengers.
Flydubai said the underlying causes of the incident remained unknown and warned against “premature speculation” about its motives. It also announced the suspension of flights to and from Israel until the ongoing investigations into the incident were completed, as the relevant authorities worked to collect evidence and determine the circumstances and possible motives behind the attack.
