FlyDubai attempted hijacking investigations are continuing after an Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain of a Tel Aviv-bound passenger aircraft and tried to take control of the plane, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to warn that anyone found to have directed the attack would face a severe response.
The incident happened on September 30 aboard FlyDubai Flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with more than 170 people on board. The aircraft was forced to divert to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia after a violent confrontation in the cockpit. The captain was injured but managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and other crew members to intervene. Two off-duty pilots also helped regain control of the aircraft before it made an emergency landing.
Netanyahu said the investigation was beginning to reveal more about the co-pilot’s background and alleged that he had undergone Islamist radicalisation. He said investigators were examining whether the man acted alone or had been sent by another party.
“As time passes, the picture is becoming clearer,” Netanyahu said. “The attacker underwent Islamist radicalisation. He came to crash the plane with all passengers on board. We are investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price.”
The prime minister has stopped short of publicly accusing a particular country of ordering the attack. That distinction is important because investigators have not established a foreign government connection. Netanyahu has also previously described the incident as appearing to be a suicide attempt rather than a conventional hijacking.
U.S. President Donald Trump, however, has publicly raised the possibility of an Iranian connection. Speaking to reporters on October 1, Trump said he was hearing that Iran could be linked to the co-pilot and suggested that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could potentially have been involved. He did not provide evidence for the claim and said the investigation was still under way. Trump also warned that Iran would be hit “very hard” if it were found to be responsible.
Israeli officials have not publicly established an Iranian link. Reuters reported that investigators were also considering whether the co-pilot acted alone, while the UAE opened its own investigation into the circumstances, motive and possible planning behind the incident.
The co-pilot is an Omani national. His identity and background have come under increasing scrutiny as investigators examine how he was able to work on a flight to Israel. Reports have said he had previously worked for Oman Air and had been removed from flying duties after concerns about extremist material and online activity emerged. He later joined FlyDubai.
The circumstances of the cockpit attack have also become clearer. Initial reports described the captain as having been stabbed, but UAE authorities later said the co-pilot attacked him with a cockpit crash axe, an emergency tool carried on Boeing aircraft. During the struggle, the aircraft entered a rapid descent before the captain managed to unlock the cockpit and allow others to intervene.
The captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, was seriously injured but played a crucial role in preventing the aircraft from being brought down. Once the cockpit door was opened, passengers and crew members restrained the attacker while off-duty pilots helped stabilise the aircraft. The plane was subsequently diverted to Saudi Arabia, where the injured crew members received medical attention. No passengers were killed in the incident.
The incident has raised questions beyond the immediate attack, particularly about aviation security and the process used to vet pilots. It has also prompted scrutiny of how an Omani national was assigned to a flight bound for Israel, given existing security arrangements concerning crew members from countries that do not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.
The investigation involves authorities from several countries, including Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, with American agencies also following developments. The co-pilot was initially questioned by Saudi authorities before being transferred to the UAE for further questioning.
For now, the central question remains whether the attack was the act of a lone individual who had become radicalised or part of a wider operation. Israeli officials have raised the possibility of outside direction, while publicly available evidence has not established that another government or militant organisation ordered the attack.
That uncertainty is significant because Netanyahu’s warning carries consequences beyond the fate of one suspect. If investigators eventually establish that the co-pilot was acting on instructions from an outside organisation or state, the incident could become a much broader security and diplomatic matter. Until then, claims about who may have been behind the attack remain under investigation.
