Netanyahu says motive remains unclear after Flydubai cockpit attack
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was too early to identify the motive or possible sponsors of an attack aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The aircraft landed safely in Saudi Arabia after passengers overpowered an alleged attacker.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it is too early to determine who was behind an attempted attack aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Netanyahu said one pilot had stabbed the other and apparently tried to crash the aircraft. Passengers and crew members overpowered the alleged attacker while the plane descended sharply over Saudi Arabia.
The aircraft, carrying 174 people, diverted to Tabuk, where it landed safely. The injured pilot, Indian national Captain Smit Machchhar, was taken to hospital and reported to be stable. Netanyahu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised his actions.
Netanyahu said the alleged attacker was being investigated in Saudi Arabia and could later be transferred to the United Arab Emirates, where the flight had begun. He said Israel had not received advance intelligence about the incident and that it might participate in the investigation. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz called the incident an attempted jihadist terror attack, but Netanyahu said there was no evidence yet identifying a motive or Iranian involvement.
US President Donald Trump said the attacker might have been a terrorist or might have had another reason. Flydubai described the incident as an altercation in the flight deck and said crew members travelling on the aircraft secured it and landed it at Tabuk. Passengers later reached Tel Aviv on a repatriation flight.
The airline said the official investigation would determine what happened.
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