Omani Copilot Who Stabbed Indian Pilot Had Discussed Killing Jews: Israeli Official

An Omani copilot accused of stabbing Indian pilot Capt Smit Machchhar and attempting to take control of a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv had discussed killing Jews on social media, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel. The official said the attacker appeared to have been radicalised into a jihadist ideology and had also asked Emirati crew members to kill him after being overpowered on board the aircraft.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said preliminary investigations pointed to “Islamist radical indoctrination”, while stressing that it was too early to draw firm conclusions about the motive. He also said investigators were examining whether the attacker intended to crash the aircraft.

The Flydubai flight, carrying more than 170 people, was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when its altitude suddenly dropped by around 17,000 feet (5,200 metres). Passengers and crew eventually subdued the attacker, allowing the aircraft to make an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.

The UAE has launched an investigation to determine whether the incident was linked to terrorism. Saudi authorities said both the pilot and co-pilot were medically cleared and returned to the UAE on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Israel is conducting a separate investigation, with preliminary findings reportedly suggesting that the attacker may have intended to bring down the aircraft. Israeli officials are also reviewing aviation security procedures.

The possibility of Iranian involvement has also been raised by US President Donald Trump and UAE officials, though no evidence has been publicly established and Netanyahu said it was too early to determine whether Iran was involved.

Capt Machchhar, who was stabbed during the incident, was praised as a “hero” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Netanyahu. India’s Ambassador to the UAE, Deepak Mittal, visited him in hospital, with the Indian mission saying the pilot was in good health and recovering.

Flydubai flight FZ1073 departed Dubai International Airport at around 7:05 am local time. About two hours into the journey, the aircraft rapidly lost altitude before declaring an emergency and diverting to Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.