Israeli investigators consider 9/11-style attack theory in Flydubai plane incident
Quick Look
- Israeli investigators are examining whether a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was the target of a deliberate hijacking attempt resembling a 9/11-style attack, with sources indicating the co-pilot may have killed the pilot and aimed to crash into a Tel Aviv skyscraper.
- The plane transmitted a hijacking alert before landing in Saudi Arabia, and conflicting reports suggest a fight between pilots, one of whom may have been stabbed.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The article references the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States as a point of comparison for the current investigation into the Flydubai incident, noting similarities in the use of commercial aircraft as potential weapons.
LONDON, September 30. /TASS/. Israeli investigators examining the incident aboard a Flydubai plane traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv do not rule out that the pilot planned to crash into a skyscraper in Israel, The Telegraph reported, citing sources.
According to three separate sources cited by the newspaper, a 9/11-style attack is a major line of inquiry. On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four passenger planes in the United States: two crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York, a third hit the Pentagon, and the fourth crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to stop the hijackers.
"This is thought to be a 9/11 scenario where the co-pilot kills the pilot and crashes the plane inside of Israel with all the passengers, mostly Israelis," one source said.
Officials are unclear what the intended target might have been if the incident was a deliberate hijacking. However, more than one source identified a tower block in Tel Aviv as a possible target.
Incident
Earlier, the Flydubai passenger plane transmitted a hijacking alert. It later landed in Saudi Arabia. Flydubai’s press service told TASS that all passengers were safe. According to Israel’s Channel 12, a fight between the two pilots caused the incident. Israeli broadcaster i24NEWS reported, citing witnesses, that one of them had been stabbed. Israel’s Channel 14 later said that the pilots were from the UAE and Oman. According to its account, the Omani pilot caused the incident and may have deliberately tried to crash the plane. The second pilot, whom the channel identified as a UAE national, stopped him.
One of the leading theories currently being investigated is that one of the pilots attempted suicide, possibly with a terrorist motive. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the incident aboard the plane as an attempted terrorist attack.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Israeli authorities will launch a formal investigation into possible terrorism links
Very likely · Within days
Flydubai will review cockpit security and pilot mental health protocols
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- What was the exact motive behind the pilot's alleged actions?
- Was terrorism definitively involved, or was it a personal act?
- What specific tower block in Tel Aviv was considered as a target?
- Why did the plane land in Saudi Arabia instead of continuing to Tel Aviv or returning to Dubai?
