Co-Pilot Who Tried To Crash flydubai Plane Is Omani National: Israel's Foreign Minister To NDTV
Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar identified the co-pilot who attempted to crash a flydubai flight as an Omani national, labeling the incident a jihadist terror attack. The flight was saved by the heroic actions of the Indian captain and Israeli passengers who intervened.
Why it matters
The incident highlights ongoing geopolitical tensions and the vulnerability of international aviation to ideologically motivated violence.
The co-pilot who stabbed the captain on a Dubai-Tel Aviv flydubai flight, in an alleged attempt to hijack or crash the plane, is an Omani national, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said in an interview with NDTV on Thursday. He termed it a "jihadist terror attack", added that there's no evidence yet, but claimed that the main motive was to derail Israel-UAE ties and the Abraham Accords.He also praised the Indian pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar, who managed to open the cockpit door despite being injured. Official details on the attacker have neither been released by Saudi Arabia, where the plane was diverted by backup pilots who happened to be on the plane, nor by the UAE, where the flight (flydubai 1073) originated.Sa'ar said Israel would push for the co-pilot's extradition from the UAE.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in