Israel may join investigation into Flydubai incident, in which pilot attacked captain during flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The plane with 174 people on board made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after suddenly losing altitude.
Benjamin Netanyahu told CNN that the president of the United Arab Emirates agreed to allow Israeli officials to join the interrogation of the suspect and the investigation. Saudi authorities have detained the attacking pilot.
“One pilot stabbed the other and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board,“ Netanyahu said. He stressed that there was no concrete information yet linking the incident to Iran.
The plane lost about 16,000 feet of altitude
The incident occurred approximately two and a half hours after takeoff. According to Flightradar24, the plane fell from about 33,000 to 17,000 feet in about a minute before the crew was able to stabilize it. The plane flew near the Jordanian border and landed in Tabuk about an hour after the distress call was made. According to the Associated Press, parts of the plane's tail were damaged during the extreme descent.
Flydubai confirmed that there was a physical altercation in the cockpit on board, but said the causes and motives were still being clarified and urged not to draw premature conclusions. The company said other crew members took control and landed the plane safely.
Plumber among passengers who entered the cabin
Netanyahu cited Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayun, who works as a plumber, as one of the participants in controlling the situation. According to the prime minister, Hayun and others managed to enter the cabin and neutralize the attacker while he was trying to influence the controls of the plane.
“The door was obviously not locked and we were able to open it“, Hayun told reporters after arriving in Israel. He said the wounded captain was on the other side of the door, while the attacker was at the controls.
Captain Smith Machar, an Indian citizen, was seriously injured. The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia said he was in stable condition. Netanyahu said the captain, despite his injuries, managed to open the cabin door, allowing passengers and crew to intervene.
Flydubai suspends flights to Israel
After the emergency landing, passengers were taken to Israel on another plane. There were Israeli, Indian and UAE nationals on board, as well as four US citizens. Three passengers suffered minor injuries.
Flydubai has temporarily suspended flights to and from Israel while an investigation continues. The main question remains whether the attack was a terrorist act or a hijacking attempt, or was carried out for personal reasons. CNN noted that definitive answers must be sought through flight recorder data, interviews with crew and passengers, and an examination of the actions of the two pilots.
Sources: CNN