The co-pilot of a Flydubai plane attempted to carry out a terrorist attack using an emergency axe

(CNN) - The UAE Attorney General, Hamad Al Shamsi, said that investigations into the events that took place on board the Fly Dubai flight to Tel Aviv, on Wednesday, revealed that “the plane’s assistant pilot attempted to carry out a terrorist operation.”

Al Shamsi explained, according to what was reported by the official Emirates News Agency, that “the plane’s co-pilot began implementing his plan during the flight, as he assaulted the plane’s pilot inside the cockpit using an emergency axe, and tried to control the plane’s controls.”

He stressed that "investigations are still underway to uncover all the circumstances of the incident, its motives, and the links associated with it, in addition to completing technical examinations and examining physical and digital evidence, with the final results being announced as soon as the necessary procedures are completed."

The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority announced on Friday that the Indian pilot, Smit Machhar, who resisted an attack on a Flydubai flight heading to Tel Aviv, returned “safely to the UAE, and is in good condition and receiving the necessary treatment.”

The authority praised the "remarkable courage and quick response of the pilot and crew of Flydubai flight (FZ1073), and the passengers who contributed to controlling the situation."