Saudi Arabia, Israel, and UAE work together on investigation into Flydubai suspect: What to know

A Flydubai flight carrying 174 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after the copilot stabbed the captain and attempted to take control of the aircraft.

The wounded captain managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and other crew members to restrain the attacker. Other Flydubai crew members aboard the plane then helped stabilize the aircraft and land it safely in Tabuk.

The incident has prompted investigations involving Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates, hoping to uncover the key questions surrounding the suspect’s identity, motive, and how a weapon entered the cockpit.

The flight nearly ended in disaster

Flydubai flight FZ1073 departed Dubai International Airport for Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning. About two and a half hours into the flight, the aircraft issued a distress call at 8:44 a.m. local time.

The Boeing 737 rapidly lost altitude, dropping from about 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet in roughly a minute. Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft then descended toward Saudi Arabia and circled near the Jordanian border before landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk at about 9:45 a.m.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News’s Fox and Friends that the copilot attacked Indian Capt. Smit Machchhar, stabbing or striking him with what Netanyahu described as either a knife or an axe. The weapon has not been verified as of Thursday morning.

Machchhar, despite suffering severe injuries and significant blood loss, managed to open the cockpit door. A passenger and a crew member then entered the cockpit and helped restrain the copilot.

Netanyahu said a passenger told him the aircraft had entered a sharp descent and that the copilot appeared to be attempting to sabotage the plane’s systems.

The attacker was eventually restrained using improvised measures. Netanyahu said passengers initially used the cord from cockpit earphones to tie his hands before securing him with plastic restraints.

Other Flydubai crew members who were traveling on the aircraft then entered the cockpit and helped stabilize the plane. Flydubai said the aircraft was “successfully secured” by its crew members, who diverted the plane and landed it safely in Tabuk. 

The aircraft sustained damage, including to its rudder, but no passengers were killed. The captain and copilot were taken to a Saudi hospital.

What happened to the passengers and captain?

Machchhar underwent surgery after the emergency landing and was later reported to be in stable condition. The passengers remained in Saudi Arabia for several hours as officials worked out how they would return to Israel. The passengers eventually boarded another Flydubai aircraft and flew from Tabuk to Israel, arriving at Ben Gurion Airport shortly before 7 p.m. local time.

Machchhar and the passengers who intervened praised Israeli and Indian officials. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Machchhar a hero, saying he showed courage while seriously injured and helped prevent a major tragedy.

One of the passengers who intervened was later identified as Israeli plumber Yaniv Hayoun. Netanyahu said Hayoun rushed into the cockpit after the aircraft began plummeting toward the ground.

Who is the alleged attacker?

Relatively little is publicly known about the copilot. Israeli officials have identified him as an Omani national. The attacker reportedly worked for Flydubai for about eight months before Wednesday’s incident, according to Netanyahu.

Saudi authorities arrested him after the aircraft landed in Tabuk and began questioning him.

Netanyahu has said investigators believe the suspect may have undergone Islamist radicalization. He also said the attacker called out for authorities to “kill” him after being restrained, which Netanyahu interpreted as evidence that he intended to die in a suicide attack.

Those claims have not established a motive, however. The UAE’s attorney general has ordered an investigation into whether the incident was connected to terrorist activity, whether it involved prior planning or direction, and what motivated the attack.

There has also been no public confirmation that the suspect was acting on behalf of a terrorist organization.

How did the attacker get a weapon into the cockpit?

One of the central questions investigators are examining is how the copilot obtained the weapon allegedly used against Machchhar.

Netanyahu told Fox News there are at least two possibilities in an interview Thursday morning.

The suspect may have brought a knife or axe into the aircraft. Netanyahu questioned whether pilots are subject to the same metal-detector screening as passengers, saying he was not certain that they are.

Another possibility is that the weapon was an emergency crash axe already kept aboard the aircraft. Such axes are standard emergency equipment on many passenger aircraft.

Netanyahu said investigators had not reached a conclusion about which weapon was used or how it was obtained.

Israel has also been examining its own aviation security procedures. An Israeli security official told CNN that the Shin Bet, the Jewish state’s domestic security agency, is supposed to vet personnel working for airlines flying into Israel from the UAE.

Why are Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the UAE involved?

The investigation spans several countries because the incident involved an aircraft registered in the UAE, an Israeli destination, and a landing in Saudi Arabia.

The UAE has asserted jurisdiction over the investigation because Flydubai is a UAE airline and the aircraft is registered in the country. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority said its investigators are examining both the operational and security aspects of the incident. The UAE attorney general has separately established an investigative team to determine the facts, circumstances, and motive.

Saudi authorities have custody of the suspect because he was arrested after the plane landed in Tabuk. Saudi officials are working with other countries, including Israel, to determine what motivated the attack.

Israel is involved because the aircraft was carrying passengers to Israel, and the suspected attack was allegedly aimed at taking down a plane headed for Tel Aviv. Netanyahu has said Israeli authorities will follow the investigation and could participate in questioning the suspect. A majority of the passengers were also Israeli.

The cooperation is notable because Saudi Arabia has not joined the Abraham Accords nor established diplomatic relations with Israel, although the two countries have maintained indirect and unofficial channels on some regional security matters. 

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What happens next?

The immediate emergency has ended, but investigators still have several major questions to answer. Authorities will need to establish exactly what happened inside the cockpit, determine what weapon was used and how it was obtained, and examine whether the attack was planned. Investigators are also looking to determine whether the suspect acted alone and whether there was any connection to terrorism or another organization.

The UAE has said its investigation will determine the “causes and circumstances” of the incident and examine its operational and security aspects. Officials have urged the public not to circulate unverified information while the investigation continues.