Indian intelligence monitors flydubai hijacking attempt, reviews aviation security

While Indian authorities are not directly involved in investigating the flydubai incident, intelligence agencies are closely monitoring developments after initial findings attributed the hijacking attempt to radicalisation.

NEW DELHI: The Indian security and intelligence establishment is on alert following the failed hijacking of a flydubai flight, undertaking a confidential evaluation of SOPs and security measures in place for the aviation sector, sources said. In response to new hijacking threats, security authorities are reassessing both ground-level passenger screening, cockpit access vulnerabilities and in-flight countermeasures. They aim to ascertain whether existing in-flight security measures like two-person cockpit presence mandates and physical barrier protocols require reinforcement.

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While Indian authorities are not directly involved in investigating the flydubai incident, intelligence agencies are closely monitoring developments after initial findings attributed the hijacking attempt to radicalisation. In the aftermath of the attack - in which Captain Smit Machchhar thwarted an attempted mid-air sabotage by his co-pilot - the agencies are actively coordinating with counter-terrorism partners in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Israel, primarily focussing on intelligence-sharing. The priority, sources said, was to obtain and analyse background, digital footprint and potential extremist affiliations of the suspect to ascertain whether the incident was an isolated act of radicalisation or part of a broader network targeting sensitive West Asian flight corridors.

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