The co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 attempted to carry out a “terrorist attack” during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israel, according to the UAE Attorney General, as reported by the WAM news agency. According to a source, the co-pilot is an Omani national. The co-pilot attacked the captain with an emergency axe and attempted to seize control of the aircraft, the Attorney General added.
Read more: flydubai: Oman authorities had banned the co-pilot from flying over security concerns — what they suspected
flydubai flight: Oman authorities had banned the co-pilot from flying
Meanwhile, international media reported on Saturday (October 3) that Omani authorities had previously banned the co-pilot of the flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv from operating aircraft, as they suspected he had been radicalized and posed a security risk. The co-pilot attacked the captain mid-flight on Wednesday.
According to TV networks Al-Arabiya, CNN, and ABC, as well as The Wall Street Journal, Omani authorities had barred the co-pilot from flying on security grounds, believing he had been influenced by extremist groups during a period he spent in Syria.
Netanyahu: “He intended to crash the plane along with its passengers”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the perpetrator “had undergone Islamist radicalization” and “intended to crash the plane along with its passengers.” The aircraft made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The exact circumstances of the attack are still under investigation.
