Tel Aviv [Israel], October 2 (ANI): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel is investigating whether the Omani co-pilot who attacked Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight pilot Captain Smit Machchhar in the cockpit was sent by someone.
In a video message released by the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu warned that the person or organisation behind the allegedly attempted crash will “pay a very heavy price.”
Netanyahu reiterated his claim that the attacker co-pilot, underwent Islamist radicalisation and attempted to crash the plane, but his plan was foiled due to the heroic efforts of Captain Machchhar and other passengers.
“As time passes, the picture is becoming clearer. Yaniv and his heroic companions prevented a disaster on the scale of 9/11. The attacker underwent Islamist radicalisation. He intended to crash the plane with all its passengers on board. We are now investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price,” he said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
“As time passes, the picture is becoming clearer. Yaniv and his heroic companions prevented a disaster on the scale of 9/11.The attacker underwent Islamist radicalization. He intended to crash the plane with all its passengers on board.
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We… pic.twitter.com/GeWLLU2e6L
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) October 2, 2026
Meanwhile, flydubai has urged all parties to refrain from premature speculation surrounding the mid-air emergency on flight FZ 1073, emphasising that official investigations are underway to establish the facts behind the incident.
Addressing the incident, flydubai Chief Executive Officer Ghaith Al Ghaith expressed deep appreciation to the flight crew and the passengers who assisted during the critical situation on board.
“I want to express my deep gratitude to our Captain, the pilots who secured the aircraft and landed it safely, as well as our cabin crew,” Al Ghaith said in a statement. “I extend our sincere gratitude to the passengers on board who assisted our crew during a challenging situation.”
Al Ghaith also acknowledged the swift intervention of emergency services and government bodies following the aircraft’s emergency diversion.
“On behalf of everyone at flydubai, I extend my sincere thanks to the authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their swift and professional response,” Al Ghaith stated. “I also thank the UAE authorities and relevant stakeholders for their support in helping our customers and crew return home.”
Reiterating the airline’s stance on allowing official processes to run their course before drawing conclusions, the CEO underscored the necessity of an evidence-based investigation.
“I know there are many questions about what happened on board FZ 1073. A full official investigation, led by the relevant authorities and fully supported by flydubai, is underway. It is important that we allow this process to establish the facts,” Al Ghaith concluded.
Additionally, an official flydubai spokesperson stressed that the motives behind the event remain undetermined as multi-agency probes continue.
“At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation. We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts,” the flydubai spokesperson stated.
The airline confirmed its full commitment to assisting investigating agencies while prioritising flight safety across its network.
“We are fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigation and maintaining the highest safety standards across our network. We remain in close coordination with government authorities, regulators and airport stakeholders and will review the suspension as more information becomes available,” the spokesperson added.
Following directive guidelines from officials, flydubai confirmed the temporary halt of its service to Tel Aviv to allow regulatory bodies to conduct their work unimpeded.
“At the request of the authorities, we have temporarily suspended operations to Tel Aviv until further notice,” Al Ghaith noted. “Our teams are working around the clock to support disrupted passengers and help them reach their final destinations.”
The identity of the flight’s co-pilot has not yet been publicly disclosed, though an Omani official verified to CBS News that the assailant was born in Oman and possesses Omani citizenship, even though Muscat has not formally acknowledged his citizenship publicly.
Earlier in the day, detailing the harrowing moments inside the cockpit, Prime Minister Netanyahu revealed to Fox and Friends that crew members had to use earphone cords and plastic cuffs to restrain the attacker.
“He is lying on the floor, and he calls out to the crew, ‘kill me, kill me’. So, it is clear that he was suicidal and was going to down the plane,” Netanyahu said, earlier characterising the episode to CBS News as looking “like a suicide attempt.”
Adding further perspective, David Mencer, a spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister, disclosed during an appearance on Fox News’ daily news programme “The Story” that Netanyahu obtained a detailed testimony from a passenger who entered the cockpit alongside flight attendants.
“That pilot wasn’t sitting in the pilot’s chair,” Mencer said. “He was standing over the controls. He was using his feet to destroy the controls of the aircraft while he was attacking that Indian pilot.” Mencer added, “His objective was to bring down that airplane.”
During conversations with Fox News, Netanyahu also stated that “personal information” collated through ongoing interrogations led Israeli authorities to deduce that the co-pilot “underwent Islamist radical indoctrination.”
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz previously characterised the occurrence as “an attempted jihadist terror attack,” labelling the co-pilot a “terrorist.”
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump cautioned that Iran faces severe repercussions if the nation turns out to be linked to an onboard assault on a Flydubai passenger aircraft, noting that intelligence pointing towards a potential Iranian connection remains under active review.
Addressing journalists prior to his departure from the White House, bound for Texas, Trump faced questions regarding whether intelligence briefings suggested the co-pilot involved in the Flydubai emergency had ties to Iran.
“We’re working on it right now. They’re being very open with us. I would say the answer based on what I’m hearing is yes, but we’re working on it right now,” Trump stated.
When asked if the individual could have been stationed on the aircraft via Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or radicalised through alternative means, Trump remarked, “It could have been, yeah.”
Footage released by Israel’s Channel 12 captured the chaos aboard the flydubai flight after Captain Smit Machchhar and passengers thwarted the crash attempt. Filmed from a seat near the cockpit, the video records passengers shouting “he tried to crash the plane”, yelling “take him out”, and urging others to sit down.
Amid calls for medical assistance, Israeli dentist Dr Shota Musayev rushed forward to provide first aid.
Amid the chaos, passenger Yaniv Hayun dragged the assailant from the controls, levelled the aircraft, and allowed a third pilot to land safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, ensuring all 180 passengers survived unharmed.
Recounting the immediate aftermath inside the cabin, Dr Musaev explained how he and another passenger utilised headphones to bind the attacker’s hands. Once restrained, the suspect offered little explanation aside from stating he originated from Oman before repeatedly pleading, “Kill me, kill me, please.” “Once he had been subdued, caught, he didn’t resist,” Musaev noted.
As police teams arrived following the emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, passengers informed ground staff that the co-pilot “is a terrorist.”
Elsewhere, Captain Smit Machchhar told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that despite being severely injured and fighting for his own life, he made “one last push” to reach the cockpit door as he could not let all the passengers die.
Speaking to PM Modi over the phone, Machchhar recalled the moments after he collapsed to the floor following the attack and said his 17 years of flying experience helped him realise that the aircraft was going down.
“When I was down on the floor, I sensed that the aircraft was going down. And I knew for sure: ‘This is the one last push, Smit. Just do it. The door is right there.’ Even as blows were still landing on me, I just managed to open it, sir. Then everyone else arrived. The others also played an equal role in this,” Machchhar told the Prime Minister.
The Captain said that while he was consciously telling himself that he was acting for his own survival, he knew deep down that he could not allow the passengers to die.
Machchhar also expressed confidence about his recovery, saying, “I am thinking of it as a journey that will happen slowly. And it will take time, but I am very, very confident that I will recover. And I will be completely healthy.”
The Prime Minister also expressed gratitude to the Saudi and UAE governments for the assistance provided to Machchhar following the incident.
Meanwhile, Anwar Gargash, an adviser to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, officially termed the cockpit attack aboard a Tel Aviv-bound Flydubai flight a “dangerous terrorist act,” marking the first time a top Emirati official has formally classified the attempted crash in such terms.
In a post on X, Gargash commended Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his decisive bravery in thwarting what could have been a catastrophic tragedy.
“The Indian pilot at flydubai, Smit Machchhar, deserves all the appreciation, as he embodied the true meaning of courage and responsibility when confronting a dangerous terrorist act and a potential disaster,” Gargash stated.
Highlighting the commander’s composure during the struggle inside the flight deck, the senior UAE official added, “His professionalism and moral sense in the darkest circumstances make him a true hero”.
Gargash also cautioned against speculation surrounding the incident, emphasising the need for continued security readiness across the region.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabian authorities have handed over the flydubai co-pilot accused of stabbing the flight’s captain during a midair attack to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Fox News reported on Thursday (local time).
The transfer comes as investigators race to establish the motive behind the terrifying midair assault aboard the commercial airliner, which was bound for Israel.
As international investigations intensify into the mid-air security scare aboard the flydubai flight, Israel’s i24 News reported that an Emirati source has revealed that among the belongings of the Omani co-pilot were leaflets and publications from “Free Palestine” groups, alongside pro-Palestinian material.
According to i24 News, the pilot had repeatedly expressed support for the Palestinians and hostility towards Israel.
This is consistent with the broader investigation, which is examining the co-pilot’s Islamist radicalisation and possible terrorist motives.
Meanwhile, Jerusalem Post cited sources close to the investigation and reported that the Omani co-pilot did not hold any second nationality. Questions were raised about how a national without diplomatic relations with Israel was cleared to fly the route.
The flight flydubai FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the mid-air incident occurred. The pilot of the flight, Captain Smit Machchhar, was attacked by his co-pilot, who stabbed him and attempted to take control of the aircraft. Despite his injuries, Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door, enabling passengers and crew to intervene. The aircraft subsequently diverted and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The captain is now out of danger and is under medical observation in Abu Dhabi. (ANI)