Flydubai incident: Netanyahu speaks of Islamist indoctrination

According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the arrested pilot of the Flydubai plane is said to have an Islamist background. "We know that he was subjected to Islamist indoctrination," said Netanyahu in an interview with the US broadcaster Fox News. Netanyahu continued that he acted with the intention of killing himself and shouted “kill me, kill me” to the crew. "It's clear he intended to crash the plane."

When asked who radicalized the man, Netanyahu said he didn't know. He will be able to say within a few days whether he has connections to Iran.

The Emirati company's flight was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when a violent altercation broke out in the cockpit. According to Netanyahu, the co-pilot stabbed his colleague. The plane reportedly went into a nosedive. After the suspected attacker was overpowered by passengers, the plane was able to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia - a second crew traveling in the cabin took over the controls.

According to Israeli information, the suspect is an Omani national. He was arrested after the plane landed. However, there is currently no reliable information about the motive. Oman has not yet commented on the incident. Saudi Arabia also initially kept a low profile.

The Indian pilot was seriously injured in the incident. He is being treated at a hospital in the city of Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia and is receiving necessary medical care there, the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said in a statement. "A detailed assessment of his health is still pending, but according to current information, his condition is stable."

The 174 passengers were taken to Tel Aviv on a replacement flight. According to Netanjhu, most were Israelis.

According to Netanyahu, Israel is working closely with the authorities in the United Arab Emirates. UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi set up a special investigation team, state news agency Wam reported. The investigators should clarify the process and the background and check whether there is a connection to terrorist activities or whether the incident was planned or ordered. The Emirati judicial authorities believe they are responsible because the machine is registered in the Gulf state and flies the Emirati flag.

Israel's President Isaac Herzog wants to honor five Israeli passengers who overpowered the co-pilot after he attacked the pilot for their "heroism." "You put yourself in danger to save others and prevented a terrible catastrophe," said Herzog.

One of the passengers who overpowered the attacker on the Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv and prevented a crash said he was helped by a documentary series about aircraft emergencies. In videos of a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Tel Aviv airport, Yaniv Hayun said that after overpowering the pilot, he grabbed the controls in the cockpit and began pulling back the levers. When asked how he knew what to do, Hayun referred to the TV show Mayday – Alarm in the Cockpit. There is currently no information from authorities about the extent to which Hayun was able to stabilize the aircraft.