On Friday, a senior political figure in the United Arab Emirates and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have both classified the attack on FlyDubai Flight 1073 as an act of terrorism.
This marks the first official statement clearly indicating that investigators believe the incident was an attack motivated by ideology.
On Wednesday, during the FlyDubai FZ1073 flight from Dubai in the UAE to Tel Aviv, Israel, an Omani copilot suddenly went on a knife-wielding rampage, viciously stabbing the Indian captain and attempting to deliberately sabotage instruments to crash the plane. After the captain bravely fought back and opened the cockpit door, an Israeli veteran passenger subdued the attacker and the off-duty crew members safely emergency landed the plane at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, saving the 174 passengers and 8 crew members onboard.
On Thursday, the injured captain was escorted back to the UAE from Saudi Arabia by UAE security personnel. The suspect in this case has also been extradited back to the UAE. The investigation of this incident will be jointly conducted by the UAE and Israel.
Anwar Gargash, Senior Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President, praised Captain Smit Machchhar as a hero for his courageous actions in preventing a disaster during the attack.
“In the face of a dangerous terrorist attack, he embodied the meaning of courage and responsibility. Maintaining vigilance and caution is still crucial in dealing with extremism and terrorism risks,” Gargash wrote on social media.
Netanyahu issued a public statement on Friday, stating that the truth about the events on the flight on Wednesday is gradually becoming clear, and he referred to the copilot as an already radicalized terrorist.
“We are currently investigating whether he was acting on someone’s orders. Whoever the mastermind behind this is, they will face extremely heavy consequences,” Netanyahu said.
So far, other officials have not made such a definitive classification regarding the attack. Saudi Arabia has stated that the copilot attacked the captain but did not specify his motivation.
According to Reuters, an Israeli government official mentioned that Israeli investigators will be working together with UAE authorities in the UAE-led investigation to determine the truth of the incident, as well as investigate the motive and background of the suspect.
The UAE state news agency reported on Thursday that UAE authorities have initiated an investigation to uncover the details and motives of the event, and ascertain “whether the incident is related to any terrorist activity or purpose, or if it involved premeditation or command.”
FlyDubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith made his first public comments on the incident on Friday. He stated that following what he referred to as a “security incident” in the cockpit, formal investigations are being conducted with the airline’s support.
In a written statement, he said, “It is important that we let this process uncover the truth.” He admitted that there are still “many questions” surrounding the events on Flight FZ1073.
More details about this incident are still being revealed.
Indian captain Machchhar described his intense struggle with the copilot during a call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.
The captain said he was seriously injured, falling to the cockpit floor, then felt the plane sharply nosedive, and fought to open the cockpit door to allow rescuers inside.
“I knew I couldn’t let him harm everyone,” he told Modi.