Speaking about a suspected crash-landing attempt by the Omani co-pilot of Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flydubai Flight FZ1073, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he had undergone Islamist radical indoctrination. “We know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination. That is something we have gathered from his personal information,” Netanyahu said, talking to Fox News, adding that the co-pilot is currently being interrogated.
BREAKING: "We know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination."
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 1, 2026
Israeli Prime Minister @netanyahu confirms the co-pilot involved in yesterday's hijacking attempt on an Israel-bound Flydubai flight is currently under interrogation, revealing initial findings of extremist… pic.twitter.com/KTJu2N5nwA
The Israeli PM also said that the co-pilot who stabbed the Indian pilot of the Israel-bound flight was on a suicide mission to crash the aircraft. Netanyahu said that the attacker co-pilot asked the crew on the flight to kill him, which is an indication that he was on a suicide mission to crash the plane.
Narrating the events that happened on the flight, the Israeli PM said that, after the passengers on the flight subdued the attacker and tied his hands using the cable of microphones in the cockpit, the Omani co-pilot called out to the air crew and asked them to kill him. “So, it is clear he was suicidal. That’s not a question…It looks very likely that he was going to down that plane,” the Israeli PM said.
NEW: Israeli Prime Minister @netanyahu reveals the attacker behind yesterday's attempted flight hijacking was "suicidal" and likely intended to bring down the plane.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 1, 2026
Netanyahu says after the attacker was subdued, he called out to the crew, "kill me, kill me!"
Investigators are… pic.twitter.com/r1GhxNKEBM
The Omani co-pilot was arrested by Saudi authorities after the Tel Aviv-bound Flydubai flight made an emergency landing at Tabuk airport. As per reports, his colleagues described him as a religious extremist who refused to shake hands with women.
The Omani national was assigned as a co-pilot to the flydubai Flight FZ1073, which took off from Dubai and was supposed to land in Tel Aviv. However, chaos broke out on the aircraft mid-air after the aircraft plunged to 14000 feet from 34000 feet within a few seconds. Passengers heard shouts from inside the cockpit and tried to break open its door.
They were able to get inside the cockpit after the flight’s pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, opened the cockpit door. The passengers saw horrifying visuals inside the cockpit, with blood spilled all around and Captain Machchhar lying in a pool of blood after being brutally stabbed by his Omani co-pilot. The passengers neutralised the co-pilot, took control of the aircraft, and navigated it to an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. After landing, the attacker co-pilot was arrested by Saudi authorities, and both the pilot and the co-pilot were hospitalised.
