Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said the co-pilot who set upon the pilot had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination” but did not elaborate.
A FlyDubai plane carrying Israeli passengers who had earlier been aboard another FlyDubai aircraft forced to make an emergency landing after a cockpit attack.
The United Arab Emirates has said it is leading the investigation into the episode, and FlyDubai’s service between Dubai and Tel Aviv has been suspended.
A passenger raises his arms in relief as he walks through the domestic arrivals doors with his dog and luggage at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
A FlyDubai jet on Wednesday near Tel Aviv at Ben Gurion International Airport, where passengers on the disrupted flight were flown after an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign for a coming election was already dominated by discussion of the policy, military and intelligence failures leading up to the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in a tight race for his political future, with national elections this month that are widely seen as the most consequential in the country’s history.
Capt. Smit Machchhar suffered stab wounds while fending off an attack from his co-pilot, saving the lives of around 170 people on board, officials said.
“I don’t deserve to die like this,” said one passenger on Flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The motive of the cockpit stabbing remains unknown, officials said.
A routine flight turned terrifying when a violent altercation broke out inside the cockpit and the aircraft dropped 17,000 feet in two minutes. Passengers subdued a knife-wielding attacker.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said the attack might have been an attempt to crash the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
Passengers of a FlyDubai aircraft that made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia were welcomed at Ben-Gurion International Airport in Israel on Wednesday.
The passenger, Miriam Ohayon, said people on board felt the jet lose control and heard screams. “When they opened the cockpit, there was a lot of blood,” she told Israeli television.
Connexion
