Advisor to the Emirati President, Anwar Gargash, on Friday (November 2, 2026), considered the Flydubai plane incident, which was heading to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, a “dangerous terrorist act.”
This comes within the framework of what he published on the X website, praising the courage of the Indian pilot, who was attacked by his co-pilot.
Gargash wrote, “Apart from easily reducing what happened or adopting and promoting conspiracy theories, vigilance and precaution remain necessary in the face of the dangers of extremism and terrorism.” This is the first statement by an Emirati official to describe the incident as a "terrorist act."
None of the results of the ongoing investigations at more than one level have been officially issued, while the judiciary in the Emirates said on Thursday that it had initiated an investigation into the incident in order to “verify the extent of its connection to any terrorist activity or purpose or the existence of prior planning or direction for it.”
After that, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the plane's co-pilot "underwent a process of extremist Islamic ideological indoctrination," adding that "the attacker shouted to the crew members, 'Kill me, kill me,'" which "clearly shows that he was a suicide bomber." The exact nationality of the co-pilot is not known amid conflicting media reports in this regard.
From the hospital where he was receiving treatment in Abu Dhabi, Smit Machar, the captain of the Flydubai flight who was suspected of being stabbed by his co-pilot during a flight between Dubai and Tel Aviv, informed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he acted out of protection for the passengers of the plane that made an emergency landing in the Saudi city of Tabuk.
The Indian Prime Minister posted a clip on social media platforms of a video call he made with Machar, who appeared to be lying in a hospital bed, his head wrapped in a bandage and his nose connected to an oxygen tube.
"I was trying to save my life, but I knew I couldn't let all these (passengers) die," Machar said.
Machar, who has 17 years of aviation experience, 11 of which as a pilot, described the moment he realized the plane was falling while he was injured on the ground, and his efforts to avoid disaster.
He said, "I suffered a number of injuries, which made me collapse. Then, I felt the plane falling. I knew that this was the last attempt, and that the (cockpit) door was close to me." He pointed out that until that moment, "I was still being beaten, but I opened the door and everyone entered."
The Flydubai Boeing 737 plane was transporting 174 passengers on a flight between Dubai and Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
According to the passengers' account, the co-pilot stabbed him with the aim of shooting down the plane, but the pilot was able to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and control the attacker.
The Indian Prime Minister strongly praised the pilot, and Modi said that his compatriot's action helped save hundreds of lives and avert a "major tragedy."
Emirati Presidential Advisor Anwar Gargash also praised the courage of the Flydubai pilot, and wrote in a post on the
The Israeli company "Al" announced the cancellation of flights scheduled for Friday (October 2, 2026), to return Israelis from Dubai, following the suspension of "Fly Dubai" flights from Israel. A spokeswoman for the Israeli airline told Agence France-Presse without specifying a new date, while the Israeli Ministry of Transport clarified that Tel Aviv has not yet obtained the required approval from the United Arab Emirates to operate flights.
On Thursday, El Al was planning to operate two special flights to return Israelis from Dubai.
For its part, Flydubai, owned by the Dubai government, explained the decision to suspend flights to Israel until the completion of the ongoing investigations regarding the recent plane incident.
This comes at a time when the Emirati company seeks to confront the repercussions of the Iran war. Data from the Flightradar24 website showed that the company’s flight numbers actually lagged behind its Gulf airline counterparts in returning to pre-war levels.
Before the incident, it was expected that Flydubai would benefit from its position as a major regional carrier and an important link between Israel and the Gulf states. Concerning the assessment of the repercussions of the most recent incident in light of the continued absence of answers to many questions about its nature and background, James Halstead, managing partner at Aviation Strategy, says that it is difficult to predict this currently, indicating that the likely impact will vary according to the extent of the incident’s connection to terrorism or to problems related to mental health, as happened in the Germanwings plane crash in 2015.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened Iran with a "very strong strike" if its involvement in the attack on the pilot of a Flydubai plane was confirmed mid-flight, adding that he believed this hypothesis was likely.
Trump also warned that the United States would respond if a connection to Iran was proven.
During his conversation with reporters at the White House, Trump raised the issue of this connection when a journalist asked him whether there were any links between the pilot behind the attack and Tehran. Trump added, without elaborating, "I would say the answer, based on what I'm hearing, is 'yes,' but we're working on it right now."
Trump said: "They will be hit very hard. Don't worry. You just have to ask them. They know what happened. They will be hit very hard."
On the other hand, an American official reported today, Thursday (October 1, 2026), that the US Army is transporting about 9,000 soldiers on board a group of ships to the Middle East. More than 7 thousand sailors and 2 thousand marines.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Pentagon will send an aircraft carrier and other ships to the region, as part of reinforcements numbering between nine thousand and ten thousand military personnel expected to arrive by the end of November.
Currently, the United States deploys two aircraft carriers in the Middle East, and it is not clear whether the number will increase to three, or will remain as it is by replacing one of the two ships.
The US official, who spoke to The Associated Press (AP) on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations, said that could mean three aircraft carriers in the region as early as the end of October.
Considering the personnel already in the Middle East, this move will raise the size of the US naval presence to an unusual level, including more than 20,000 sailors and Marines and hundreds of aircraft.
Today, Thursday (October 1, 2026), the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran summoned the British ambassador against the backdrop of British accusations against Tehran of involvement in a terrorist plot related to an air base.
Iranian state radio reported that Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht Ravanchi called on the government in London to issue a “correction.”
Ravanchi's aide denounced the "empty and ridiculous allegations" made by the British authorities against Iran, considering them "baseless and unpalatable allegations by British representatives" that Iran is linked to plans to sabotage the RAF Fairford air base, a base used by American forces to launch strikes on Iran.
The Iranian official pointed to the "international responsibility of the British government against the backdrop of numerous violations of measures against the Iranian people, especially placing military bases and capabilities under the British authorities to prepare for and implement the American-Zionist military aggression against Iran."
The Iranian embassy in London had previously expressed its “categorical rejection and strong condemnation” of what it described as “malicious and baseless speculation” regarding Iran’s connection to the case.
Following the arrest of five men on suspicion of terrorism, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham confirmed to the BBC on Wednesday that there were "strong indications" of Iranian involvement in the suspected plot to target the air base, but added that a complex police investigation into the matter was still ongoing.
Today, British police arrested a person holding dual British and Iranian citizenship, on suspicion of planning to carry out a terrorist attack. Police also searched two properties in the British capital.
Last Sunday, five men, all in their twenties and residents of London, were arrested in connection with the incident that occurred at RAF Fairford air base. They were later released on bail.
Counter-terrorism police said a second person, a 26-year-old British citizen, was also questioned. Police said they found a quantity of a highly flammable substance - gasoline - in three pickup trucks linked to the five suspects, but did not find any explosives. Vicky Evans, senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing, said the investigation was “extremely complex, and our specialist teams are examining several lines of investigation.” She added: "As we have made clear, we are looking into all possible possibilities - including the possibility of the involvement of a foreign country."
For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chimed in and said that he had warned Britain of an Iranian plan to attack the air base.
In an interview with the American Fox News channel, Netanyahu said, “We provided the British with intelligence information indicating that an attack would occur, and that it was an attack supported by Iran. Almost the next day, they imposed sanctions on us,” referring to Britain imposing sanctions on products from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
