UAE Investigates Possible Terrorism in Flydubai Cockpit Attack
The inquiry examines whether an attempted crash of an Israel-bound flight was planned by militants.
The United Arab Emirates opened a criminal investigation on Oct. 1 into an alleged attempted hijacking aboard a flydubai passenger jet flying toward Israel. UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif al Shamsi ordered prosecutors to collect evidence and look into possible terrorist activity or intent.
State news agency WAM reported that investigators are examining whether the assault was premeditated or directed by others. The prosecutor stated that Emirati judicial authorities hold jurisdiction in the matter. UAE law applies to crimes committed on planes registered in the country and operating under its flag, even outside national territory.
The incident occurred on Sept. 30 aboard flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Israeli officials and passenger accounts indicated that the co-pilot stabbed the captain and tried to crash the aircraft. Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the Boeing jet plummeted thousands of feet before crew members and passengers subdued the attacker.
The wounded captain unlocked the cockpit door, allowing travelers to intervene. Another flydubai flight crew member traveling on the jet took control and diverted the plane safely to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Tabuk airport officials confirmed that both pilots were taken to a local hospital for medical treatment.
The aircraft carried 174 passengers, including 166 Israeli citizens, and all passengers escaped physical harm. Flydubai later sent another aircraft to bring the stranded travelers from Saudi Arabia to Tel Aviv. The Dubai-based carrier cautioned against speculation and announced a suspension of its flights between Dubai and Israel.
Israeli officials called the incident an attempted terrorist attack. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted in broadcast interviews that no advance intelligence had warned of the assault. Netanyahu stated that Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan agreed to allow Israeli officials to take part in interrogating the suspect.
Netanyahu said the detained co-pilot remains under guard in Saudi Arabia and will likely be transferred to the United Arab Emirates as the joint inquiry proceeds.
