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Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has claimed the Omani co-pilot accused of trying to crash a Flydubai passenger plane bound for Tel Aviv on Wednesday had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination”, as investigators examine whether the attempted attack was linked to Iran.
Netanyahu told Fox News that the co-pilot, who allegedly stabbed the captain of Flight 1073 as it travelled from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, appeared to have been radicalised.
Reports suggest the suspect’s social media accounts discussed killing Jews, adding that he appeared to have been acting with suicidal intent.
The plane, carrying more than 170 passengers, plunged more than 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds during the struggle, according to flight-tracking data.
The wounded captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers to overpower the co-pilot. A reserve flight crew then took control and landed the aircraft safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
The UAE has launched an investigation to determine whether the attack involved terrorism, prior planning or outside direction. Israel’s intelligence agencies, the Mossad and Shin Bet, are investigating alongside authorities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Netanyahu also said Israel was reviewing security procedures after the co-pilot was able to operate a flight to Tel Aviv despite being from Oman, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel.
Under existing rules, only pilots from countries that maintain diplomatic ties with Jerusalem are permitted to fly to Israel.
“There was a loophole here, and we’re taking care of that,” he said.
It has since been revealed that many Omani pilots had flown the route to Tel Aviv, with no security checks, according to Times of Israel.
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