Flydubai incident investigation: Israeli investigators to question copilot in UAE-led probe

New Delhi: Israeli investigators are expected to question the copilot accused of attacking the captain aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 as part of the United Arab Emirates led investigation into the Wednesday cockpit incident. The suspect, who the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said was an Omani, was transferred to the UAE on Thursday after Saudi authorities detained him following the aircraft’s emergency landing at Tabuk.

The investigation is examining the copilot’s motive and background, what happened inside the cockpit and whether the incident involved terrorist activity, prior planning or direction by another party. No definitive motive has yet been established.

An Israeli government official told Reuters that Israeli investigators would participate alongside Emirati authorities, while a source briefed on the probe said Israeli officials were expected to question the copilot in the UAE. It was not immediately clear which Israeli agency would conduct the questioning.

The incident has also disrupted air links between the UAE and Israel. Flydubai suspended flights to Israel pending the investigation, while Israeli carriers prepared repatriation services for passengers stranded in the UAE.

The copilot’s alleged Omani nationality has also prompted questions in Israel over how he was assigned to a Tel Aviv bound flight, as Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. However, sources familiar with the UAE-Israel aviation agreement have disputed claims that it bars pilots who are nationals of countries without diplomatic ties to Israel.

The UAE Attorney general has formed a specialized public Prosecution team working with the general civil aviation authority and other authorities. UAE officials said investigators would establish the circumstances and motives and determine whether the episode was linked to terrorist activity or involved prior planning or outside direction.

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, went further in an X post on Friday, saying: “Yaniv and his heroic companions prevented a disaster on the scale of 9/11.” He claimed the attacker had undergone “Islamist radicalization” and intended to crash the aircraft, adding: “We are now investigating whether he was sent.” Those claims have not been established as findings of the UAE-led investigation.

As RNA Media reported earlier, Netanyahu had also told Fox News that the Omani copilot appeared “suicidal”, saying he shouted “Kill me, kill me!” after passengers and crew subdued him. His assessment of the suspect’s motives remains an attributed claim rather than an established investigative finding.

Flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 people aboard, most of them Israeli nationals, when the copilot allegedly attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit. Despite his injuries, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to intervene before a reserve Flydubai pilot crew took control and landed the aircraft safely at Tabuk.

Machchhar later told the prime minister, Narendra Modi, that he had been “fighting for my life” during the confrontation. “At one point, I realised that if I didn’t get up then passengers would lose their lives,” he said, describing why he forced himself back into action despite his injuries.

Flightradar24 data cited by Reuters showed the aircraft descended about 16,625 feet in just over 30 seconds while over Saudi Arabia. The tracking data records the aircraft’s movements but does not by itself establish what caused them inside the cockpit.

Machchhar has since been moved to Abu Dhabi for further treatment and Indian officials say he is recovering well. Saudi authorities detained the copilot after the landing before transferring him to the UAE, where investigators will now examine his background, actions and whether he acted independently or under outside direction.

The UAE-led investigation remains ongoing, with authorities cautioning against drawing conclusions before the evidence has been examined and the findings formally announced.