Stories
Flydubai Co-Pilot Planned Israel Flight Attack Before Joining Airline
- •The flydubai co-pilot accused of stabbing his captain told UAE interrogators that he planned the attack before being hired by the airline.
- •Sources state the Omani national intended to crash flight FZ1073 into Ben-Gurion airport near Tel Aviv last Wednesday.
- •Passengers and crew successfully subdued the co-pilot, while Indian pilot Smit Machchhar was hailed as a hero for helping foil the plot.
- •A reserve flydubai pilot took control of the aircraft and landed safely in Saudi Arabia, where the suspect was detained.
- •Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a security review of foreign airlines, noting the suspect had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination.
Key Questions Answered
According to sources, the flydubai co-pilot told UAE interrogators that he planned the attack before joining the airline and intended to crash last Wednesday's flight into Ben-Gurion airport. He had also considered hijacking an earlier Tel Aviv flight this year but changed his mind.
Disaster was averted after passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot following his attack on the captain with an emergency crash axe. Indian pilot Smit Machchhar survived the incident and was hailed as a hero for managing to open the cockpit door, allowing a reserve pilot to take control and land the aircraft in Saudi Arabia.
New Zealand police are looking into a period the co-pilot spent in their country, while a multi-agency Australian counterterrorism unit is investigating his links to Australia, where he once studied at RMIT University. Additionally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a security review of foreign airlines flying to Israel following the incident.
