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Iran behind flydubai co-pilot's stabbing attack, alleged crash attempt? Netanyahu vows to 'get to the root’
The host asked Benjamin Netanyahu whether there was any indication of Iranian involvement, to which he said it was too early to draw a conclusion.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday addressed questions around the possibility of an Iranian link to the alleged attempt to crash an Israel-bound flydubai flight, saying Israel will get to the “root” of the incident and may participate in the investigation.
“We'll get to the root of this attacker, whether he had accomplices, whether Iran was behind it. I think we'll find out very soon,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on the network's “Hannity” programme. Track flydubai incident LIVE.
The comments came hours after passengers and crew aboard flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv helped foil an alleged attempt by the co-pilot to bring down the aircraft. Israeli officials said the motive behind the incident remained under investigation.
Netanyahu says Iran link too early to establish
Deep Dive
The host of the Fox News asked Netanyahu whether there was any indication of Iranian involvement, to which he said it was too early to draw a conclusion.
“It's too early to say, the attacking pilot is ... now being investigated in Saudi Arabia. I think he'll be taken to the Emirates, where he comes from, or at least where he left, where he flew off from, and we'll be following and possibly also participating in this investigation,” Netanyahu said.
The co-pilot is being investigated in Saudi Arabia after the aircraft diverted to Tabuk following the incident, news agency Reuters reported.
Israeli officials have not provided evidence establishing an Iranian connection.
Flydubai, meanwhile, said the underlying reasons for the incident remained unknown and cautioned against “premature speculation”.
What happened in flydubai flight
The flight, carrying 174 people, was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain, triggering a struggle inside the cockpit.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 then plunged nearly 14,000 feet (4,267 metres) in less than 30 seconds over northern Saudi Arabia. The aircraft issued a hijack alert before diverting to Tabuk.
Passengers and crew entered the cockpit and overpowered the co-pilot, allowing two other flydubai pilots who were travelling aboard the flight to take control and land the aircraft safely in Saudi Arabia, according to Israeli officials.
The passengers later reached Israel safely.
Netanyahu praises Indian captain
Netanyahu also praised the Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, for his role in preventing what he described as a potentially catastrophic incident.
In a post on X, Netanyahu saluted Machchhar’s “extraordinary bravery”.
“Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster,” he wrote. “He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals.”
Machchhar, from Ghatkopar East in Mumbai, was based in Dubai for work, people aware of the matter told HT. Both pilots were hospitalised after the incident, Tabuk Airport said.
Machchhar underwent surgery and was reported to be stable. The other pilot, whose name was not immediately known, was arrested by Saudi authorities.
