Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the co-pilot who tried to shoot down a passenger plane heading to Israel "was indoctrinated into extremist Islamic ideas."
He stated in an interview with Fox News: “We know that he underwent a process of indoctrination with extremist Islamic ideas.”
The motive behind the incident that almost turned into a disaster on Wednesday on board Flydubai flight No. (FZ 1073) heading from Dubai to Tel Aviv was not determined.
Netanyahu told the "Fox & Friends" program that he would be able to determine within a few days whether the co-pilot of the Flydubai plane was connected to Iran.
He added: "I think it is too early to say whether he has any ties to Iran or any other party."
Netanyahu noted that it was clear that the co-pilot had suicidal intentions.
He went on to say: "If we connect that to what I just told you about Islamic tendencies, that extremism that exists in his (intellectual) background, I think that will give us very good evidence... But (I say) again, I have not reached final conclusions yet. These are the indicators that we have now."
In a video message, Netanyahu said that one of the pilots stabbed another pilot during the flight, while the plane was approaching Israel, and apparently tried to shoot it down with all its passengers.
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He added that he spoke to an Israeli passenger who entered the cockpit when the plane began to descend and clashed with the pilot, who he said was trying to shoot it down.
The Israeli Prime Minister explained that the pilot who was suspected of stabbing his colleague “is being interrogated by the Saudi authorities,” adding that he had issued instructions to the security services to prepare for the possibility of other threats.
A spokesman for his office said that Netanyahu also ordered tighter security measures on Israeli and non-Israeli airlines following the incident.
While Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz described the incident as an attempt to carry out a “jihadi terrorist” attack, he did not specify the source of his information regarding the motive.
The passengers of the Flydubai flight, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia, arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday evening, where Netanyahu met them.
US President Donald Trump said that he spoke to Netanyahu after the incident.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office: “I spoke at length with Bibi (Netanyahu) about this incident, and it appears that the co-pilot was either a terrorist or deranged, and stabbed the pilot of the plane,” praising the co-pilot who was attacked, describing him as a “hero.”
Suspension of Flydubai flights to Israel
Flydubai has temporarily suspended its flights to and from Israel as the investigation continues into the incident that occurred on a flight from Dubai Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport.
The company explained that this temporary suspension will allow the relevant authorities to continue their work and determine all the facts related to the incident.
The company indicated that it continues close coordination with government authorities, regulators and concerned parties at the airport, noting that it will review the decision to suspend flights when more information becomes available.
The Emirati judiciary launched an investigation into the incident, according to what the Emirates News Agency reported Thursday, after a plane made an emergency landing at a Saudi airport on Wednesday during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
The agency reported that the investigation team “began its work on the incident, in coordination with the General Authority of Civil Aviation and the relevant state authorities,” and that the Public Prosecutor directed it to “verify the extent of its connection to any terrorist activity or purpose or the existence of prior planning or direction for it.”
A spokesman for Netanyahu said that the Israeli Prime Minister met the passengers at the airport after their arrival.
The BBC was at Ben Gurion Airport shortly before the flight arrived, as more family members of the passengers began arriving at Terminal 1, with the confirmation of the plane’s departure from Saudi Arabia.
The BBC monitored that the state of anxiety that had prevailed during the previous hours began to subside after about nine hours of waiting, while several ambulances were stationed at the place as a precautionary measure, and about twenty Israeli and international media crews gathered.
Tighten procedures
A spokesman for Netanyahu's office said that Israel intends to tighten security verification procedures for the identities of international pilots arriving to it.
Reuters quoted spokesman Doron Spielman as saying that the authorities will verify the pilots' identities and conduct security checks on them, following the incident of the attack on the Indian pilot.
He added that Netanyahu directed the authorities to "raise the level of security" for flights with Israelis on board, including flights not operated by Israeli airlines.
A phone call took place between the Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the Israeli Minister Gideon Saar, during which the Emirati Minister reassured - according to the Emirati Foreign Ministry - about the safety of the passengers of the flight, “expressing his wishes for their health and well-being, and also conveying his greetings to the families of the passengers.”
Indian Embassy: The pilot who was attacked is in “stable condition”
On Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Indian pilot Smit Machar and described him as a "hero" after he was injured by his co-pilot on the Emirati "Fly Dubai" flight that was heading from Dubai to Tel Aviv, thus saving all 174 passengers.
He continued: "His courage contributed to saving hundreds of lives and averting a major disaster. India is proud of Captain Machar. We pray for his speedy recovery."
The Indian Embassy in Riyadh said that the Indian pilot, Smit Machchar, who was attacked during a flight, is in stable condition and is receiving the necessary medical care in a hospital in the city of Tabuk.
In turn, Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced, on Thursday, honoring four Israelis who helped control the co-pilot of the Fly Dubai flight and prevented him from shooting down the plane.
“You put yourselves in danger to save others and prevented a terrible catastrophe, and today the whole world saw the beautiful and courageous face of Israeli society,” Herzog said in a statement.
What do we know about the Indian pilot?
The pilot who was stabbed on Wednesday on a flight to Israel has been identified as an Indian national, Captain Smit Machar.
Captain Machar was attacked by another pilot who was with him on the flight, causing the plane to change course and then land in Saudi Arabia.
Captain Machar grew up in Mumbai, India, where his parents still reside.
He joined the Indian airline SpiceJet in 2011 before later moving to Dubai. By 2022, when he joined Flydubai, he was an experienced pilot.
Captain Machar has more than 9,750 hours of flying experience, including more than 6,400 hours as a pilot, according to his LinkedIn profile.
SpiceJet, which he previously joined, issued a statement describing Machar as a “hero” who saved “countless lives.”
The captain stated earlier that he had never had to make an emergency landing on any plane he flew, although he faced medical emergencies and minor technical problems that caused flight delays.
Emergency landing in Tabuk
The company operating Tabuk Airport said that the flight was diverted to the city at 9:45 a.m. local time, 06:45 GMT, and that the plane’s pilot and co-pilot were found injured and taken to the hospital.
Flydubai said that all passengers are fine, adding that the causes of the altercation that occurred on board the flight are still unknown.
According to media reports, 166 of the 174 passengers on board the plane were Israeli.
The company later said that another Flydubai crew was on board the flight while performing its duties, and was responsible for diverting the plane and landing it safely.
An Agence France-Presse correspondent in Tabuk said that he saw a heavy security deployment near the airport, with several police vehicles and an ambulance in front of the passenger building.
The plane lost 17,000 feet within a minute
Passengers said that there was a struggle to control the plane after it made a sudden landing.
According to data from the Flight Radar 24 website, the plane lost about 17,000 feet of altitude within about one minute.
An Italian passenger described the sudden landing as being like severe turbulence, even though there were no turbulence, and likened it to riding a roller coaster.
He said that there was no panic among the passengers despite the outbreak of a fight near the cockpit, adding that passengers in the front of the plane were able to control the situation.
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Passenger: The co-pilot tried to kill the captain
Fears of kidnapping
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation "Kan" and Channel 12 reported that the Israeli army sent fighter jets into the air after fears that the plane might be subjected to a hijacking.
One passenger, Yaniv Hayon, described how he and others on the flight restrained the attacker.
“The pilot who was stabbed was very close to the door, so it was difficult for us to open it,” Haeun said in a video posted by the Prime Minister’s Office on social media, but before the stabbed pilot collapsed, he managed to open the door.
Yaniv said he placed the attacker, who was trying to disable the plane, in a chokehold before other passengers helped steady him.
In a video clip from inside the plane, which Israeli users reposted on social media, a passenger appeared with blood pouring from a wound in his head as he called for help and said that the plane was landing in Saudi Arabia.
The man said that passengers were able to subdue what he described as terrorists and that the plane was preparing to land.
