Israel Weighs Joining Probe Into Flydubai Cockpit Attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on October 1 that Israel may join the investigation into an incident aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073, in which a co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and attempted to crash the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv aircraft before passengers and crew overpowered him and the plane made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.¹⁴

Attack mid-flight

Netanyahu said that as the plane neared Israeli airspace, one pilot attacked the other with a knife and seemed to be attempting to bring the aircraft down with everyone still on board.⁵

The captain, identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar, was severely wounded but made an emergency call and opened the cockpit door, according to the Guardian. Netanyahu said the plane began spinning and dropping sharply before Machchhar, together with a crew member, managed to force his way back into the cockpit and overpower the assailant; the Straits Times reported that the jet lost close to 14,000 feet in under half a minute.¹⁵³

Passenger Yaniv Hayoun, an Israeli seated in row 16, said he rushed forward and restrained the attacker. "I grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold, and dragged him out first," he said, adding that the suspect had tried to fly the plane by mimicking what he had seen on television.¹²

Ynetnews reported that the plane's tail was damaged amid the steep descent, after which the aircraft was redirected and came down without incident in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Passengers were later flown to Israel on another Flydubai aircraft and landed at Ben Gurion Airport, while Flydubai said it was temporarily suspending all flights to and from Israel.⁵²

Investigation and Iran question

Netanyahu, speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity, said it was too early to determine who was behind the incident or whether Iran was involved. "We intend to uncover who this attacker truly is, whether he had accomplices, and whether Iran was involved. We'll likely have answers before long," he said.¹²

Israeli officials said the co-pilot is believed to be an Omani national and that his exact background remains unclear; Netanyahu said the suspect "obviously hated Israelis," according to the Times of Israel. According to i24NEWS, Israeli security officials are looking into whether Iran or a militant group may be tied to the incident, while cautioning that no link has yet been confirmed or excluded.⁶⁴⁹

The suspect is currently being investigated in Saudi Arabia, where the plane landed, and Netanyahu said he expected the suspect would likely be taken to the United Arab Emirates. Israel is pressing Saudi Arabia for access to the interrogation, but Riyadh is so far refusing, according to a security source cited by i24NEWS: "Whether Israel insists on access depends on the information the Saudis provide from their interrogation."¹⁴⁹

CNN reported that Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar held talks with his Emirati counterpart, with both sides pledging joint efforts against extremist threats to regional security. The Guardian reported that Netanyahu said he discussed the matter with the UAE's president, who consented to letting Israel take part in questioning the suspect.⁶¹

Netanyahu described the episode as an attempted terrorist attack against Israelis, the UAE and the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and the UAE in 2020. Israel's foreign ministry briefed diplomats that it viewed the incident as an attempted terrorist attack, though Israel said it had no information linking it to a terrorist state or organization.¹

International reaction

US President Donald Trump spoke with Netanyahu about the incident, according to Middle East Eye. Trump said of the co-pilot, "It seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack-job, and he stabbed the pilot," and praised the captain's actions: "The pilot was in very bad shape. Still, in his view, opening the door made the captain a hero."⁸¹²

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Machchhar as a hero, saying: "In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others." Trump also praised both Machchhar and Hayoun for their actions.¹²

Machchhar, who joined Flydubai in June 2022 after 11 years at SpiceJet, was being treated in a hospital in Tabuk, according to multiple reports.⁵¹