On October 1, local time, more details of the Dubai aviation safety incident that occurred the previous day were revealed, making it more dramatic and suspicious at the same time.
Some aviation experts said that it was a miracle that the passenger plane landed safely. An Israeli passenger who helped subdue the co-pilot on a passenger plane said that he gained experience by watching the documentary series "Sky" and thus saved a passenger on the plane.
Currently, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Israel are all investigating the incident. Israel is also trying to push for the extradition of the suspected co-pilot of the passenger plane, but it is accused of facing diplomatic and legal obstacles.
More than 170 passengers suffered a frightening moment
On September 30, local time, more than 170 passengers on a Dubai Airlines passenger plane flying from Dubai, United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv, Israel, encountered a frightening moment: the flight altitude suddenly dropped by 4,300 meters within 30 seconds; the passenger plane issued emergency codes 7700 and 7500; Israel was worried A hijacking occurred, and fighter jets were dispatched. Passengers and crew rushed into the cockpit and subdued the co-pilot who stabbed the captain. The two pilots on board who were scheduled to take over for the next flight were able to take control of the plane. An hour later, the passenger plane landed at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. The tail was damaged but the passengers were unharmed.
Spielman, spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, said that the assassinated captain was covered in blood and fell on the cockpit floor, but he still used his "last effort" to open the cockpit door lock. Several passengers who realized that the situation was abnormal rushed into the cockpit and found the injured captain lying on the ground, while the assailant pilot was standing in front of the control console and smashing the control panel. A passenger then struggled with him and subdued him.
Israeli officials push for extradition of co-pilot
Israel's Minister of National Security, Ben Gvir, said on October 1 that he would ask the Security Cabinet to push for the extradition of the co-pilot who tried to hijack a Dubai airliner.
Ben-Gevir said in a statement that he would call on the Ministry of Justice and relevant diplomatic officials to "use all available means" to extradite the suspect to Israel and prosecute him under the Israeli judicial system. According to Israeli analysis, this extradition request faces complex diplomatic and legal obstacles.
Many parties said they would launch an investigation
Currently, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Israel are all investigating the incident. The co-pilot is an Omani national. In addition, his identity and motive for the crime have not been released. Israel and Saudi Arabia have not established diplomatic relations, making joint investigations potentially more difficult.
Israel's transportation department said it would investigate the incident together with its defense authorities.
The Saudi and Emirati governments confirmed they were investigating the incident. On October 1, local time, the Attorney General of the United Arab Emirates ordered an investigation into the cockpit conflict on the Dubai Airlines passenger plane, including investigating whether it was related to "terrorist activities." The General Civil Aviation Authority of the United Arab Emirates called the incident a "security incident" and said it was investigating the cause and specific circumstances of the incident with relevant parties. It called on the outside world not to spread unofficial information or predict the results of the investigation.
The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia stated on the evening of September 30 that the current condition of Indian captain Smit Machicher was stable. A statement from Tabuk Airport said both pilots were injured. At present, the outside world does not know the condition of the co-pilot's injuries.
Flydubai suspends all Israel routes
After the incident, Emirates Airline Dubai announced that it would suspend all its Israel routes until the investigation into the safety incident of Dubai Airline flight FZ1073 is completed.
Flydubai also said the cause of the incident was still unclear and warned against making premature inferences. It has not yet been determined why the two pilots clashed.
The industry called the incident an "aviation miracle"
Some aviation experts said that it was a miracle that the passenger plane landed safely even though it dropped so sharply that a large area of its rudder fell off the tail.
According to the flight tracking website "24-Hour Flight Radar Website", the passenger plane was a Boeing 737 Max 8. Philip Keane, the principal of the New Zealand Flying School where Captain Marchicher was trained, told the media that it was "incredible" that the aircraft did not break apart after a sharp dive and finally landed safely.
Close to multiple special nodes
The incident is full of doubts
The timing of this event is particularly special. October 7 marks the third anniversary of the outbreak of a new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict. At the same time, Israel is about to hold parliamentary elections at the end of October. According to Israeli media, this will be the first time in the past 40 years that Israel will hold an election as planned rather than in advance. Opinion polls show that the anti-Netanyahu camp is still far from the majority of seats needed to govern, and the election between the ruling and opposition camps is still in a stalemate.
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu inspected the Israeli Air Force's Turnov base on September 29, he stated that there was intelligence indicating that "hostile forces" were trying to launch an attack on Israel before the upcoming election on October 27. However, Israeli opposition leader Lapid said on the 30th that as the election approached, Netanyahu "began to be busy creating panic." He emphasized that any security threat cannot be reduced to a tool for election propaganda videos.
In addition, Netanyahu visited the United Arab Emirates on September 27, and the two countries confirmed the visit on the 28th. Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a warning to the United Arab Emirates and other Middle East countries on the 29th, calling on relevant countries not to allow their territory to be used to carry out activities that undermine the stability of other countries in the region.
When asked if there were any signs that Iran was involved in the incident, Netanyahu said: "It is too early to draw conclusions." He also said that Israel had received no specific warning in advance about the incident.
According to Iranian news on September 30, intelligence from Iran's security agencies showed that the Israeli regime planned to carry out terrorist actions, such as launching attacks on aircraft or airports, and "blame" it on Iran in order to promote the consensus of the international community against Iran and exert a new round of pressure on Iran. Iranian intelligence agencies are working hard to prevent this plot from succeeding.
U.S. President Trump told reporters at the White House on September 30 that he and Netanyahu "discussed in detail" the incident on the phone and that it seemed that the co-pilot "could be a terrorist or a madman."
In addition, what kind of object the co-pilot used to stab the captain is also one of the doubts about the incident. According to regulations, pilots will undergo strict security inspections with metal detectors and other equipment at the airport, but it is unclear whether the Dubai Air pilot involved in the incident received strict inspections.
Producer丨Zheng Hong
Producer | Wen Fan
Editor-in-Chief丨An Yingqi
Editor丨Chen Shu
Reporter丨Liang Hui
