Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that anyone found to have directed the attack aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073 would “pay a very heavy price”, as investigators examine whether the co-pilot acted alone or on instructions from others.
Netanyahu said the co-pilot had undergone “Islamist radicalisation” and intended to crash the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight with everyone on board. He did not provide evidence for the radicalisation claim, and investigators have yet to establish whether another person or group directed the attack.
“We are investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price,” Netanyahu said in a video message.
The warning came two days after Indian captain Smit Machchhar was attacked inside the cockpit of the flydubai aircraft. The plane was carrying 174 passengers and eight crew members when the incident occurred on Wednesda
Flight plunged nearly 14,000 feet
Machchhar was stabbed by his co-pilot during what authorities are investigating as an attempt to crash the Boeing 737.
Flight data showed the aircraft losing nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds. Despite his injuries, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to enter and restrain the co-pilot.
Two other flydubai pilots travelling on the aircraft then took control. The flight was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.
Netanyahu said investigators were examining the co-pilot’s actions and whether anyone else was involved.
He had earlier told Fox News that the attacker called on the crew to kill him after he was overpowered. Netanyahu said this led him to believe the co-pilot was suicidal and intended to bring down the aircraft.
UAE adviser calls attack a ‘terrorist act’
UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash on Friday described what happened aboard the flight as a “dangerous terrorist act” and praised Machchhar for his actions.
“The Indian pilot at Flydubai, Smit Machchhar, deserves every bit of appreciation,” Gargash wrote on X, saying the captain had shown courage and responsibility during the attack.
Gargash also cautioned against conspiracy theories while the investigation continues.
Israel’s Consul General in Mumbai, Yaniv Revach, separately described the incident as a terror attack and praised Machchhar’s conduct.
Netanyahu has also compared the possible consequences of the attack to a 9/11-style disaster and praised Machchhar and the passengers who helped restrain the co-pilot.
Machchhar recounts fight to open cockpit door
Machchhar, who is recovering in an Abu Dhabi hospital, spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by video call on Friday.
“I knew that the aircraft was going down … I had fallen to the ground,” he said. “I told myself that the door is right there; just open it.”
Machchhar said he managed to reach the cockpit door despite his injuries. Once it was opened, passengers and crew were able to enter and overpower the attacker.
Machchhar told Modi that he has been flying for 17 years and has served as a captain for 11. He said his experience allowed him to understand what was happening to the aircraft even as he lay injured inside the cockpit.
The captain and the co-pilot were later transferred from Saudi Arabia to the UAE. Machchhar remains under treatment in Abu Dhabi as investigators work to establish the attacker’s motive, whether there was advance planning and whether anyone else was involved.
