The Omani co-pilot accused of attacking Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar during a flight to Israel had previously been identified as a security risk while working with Oman Air, according to senior intelligence and law enforcement officials cited by ABC News.
Sources told the outlet that the suspect was found with extremist material while he was a trainee co-pilot in 2024. He was later allowed to work in an administrative role, the sources said.
Investigators are now examining how he was later able to join Flydubai and serve as first officer on a flight bound for Tel Aviv.
Flydubai suspect was flagged while working for Oman Air
According to ABC News, the suspect was suspended by Oman Air after officials identified him as a security concern in 2024. Sources said extremist materials were found in his possession during that period.
The sources said he was not removed completely from the airline and instead continued working in an administrative position. Officials are now looking into what happened between that earlier security concern and his later employment with Flydubai.
{{/usCountry}}The sources said he was not removed completely from the airline and instead continued working in an administrative position. Officials are now looking into what happened between that earlier security concern and his later employment with Flydubai.
{{/usCountry}}The suspect’s name has not been publicly released. He was transferred from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday and is cooperating with investigators, according to sources cited by ABC News.
Smit Machchhar was stabbed during Flydubai flight
The incident happened Wednesday on Flydubai Flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar inside the cockpit, leaving the Indian captain seriously injured.
The aircraft then went into a steep descent. Machchhar later told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he knew the aircraft was going down and managed to open the cockpit door while injured. “I knew that the aircraft was going down ... I had fallen to the ground. I told myself that the door is right there, just open it. I managed to do it and people entered,” he said, according to Reuters.
Passengers then entered the cockpit and helped restrain the suspect. The aircraft was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. The flight was carrying 182 people, according to The Associated Press.
UAE investigates motive behind Flydubai cockpit attack
The UAE has opened an investigation into the incident. Prosecutors are examining the circumstances and motive, including whether the attack involved terrorist activity or prior planning, according to the UAE state news agency WAM and ABC News.
The suspect has reportedly indicated to investigators that he intended to crash the aircraft in Israel, according to sources briefed on the investigation. That claim has not been independently established, and investigators are still working to determine what led to the attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the suspect as having undergone “Islamist radicalization” and said authorities were examining whether someone else had directed him. His comments are part of the ongoing investigation and do not by themselves establish the suspect’s motive or any outside involvement.
Flydubai said it has temporarily suspended its Tel Aviv operations at the request of authorities while an official investigation continues.