Israel vows to get to root of flydubai attack, no motive yet determined
By Alexander Cornwell JERUSALEM, Oct 1 (Reuters) - No motive has yet been determined for an apparent attempt to crash a passenger jet on its way to Israel, and an initial assessment suggested the co-pilot who stabbed the captain acted alone, Israeli officials said on Thursday. Disaster was averted on Wednesday's flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv after the wounded captain managed to…
Israel's Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, expressed concerns over the timing of the Flydubai flight incident, stating that it occurred at a particularly sensitive time. The incident took place just before upcoming elections in Israel, the third anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, and shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the UAE.
Azar emphasized that the investigation into the motive behind the incident must be completed before drawing any conclusions. The co-pilot of the Flydubai flight attempted to sabotage the aircraft and later stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot, who fought back and opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the co-pilot.
Azar praised the bravery of Captain Machchhar and the passengers, calling it an "amazing example" of how people can fight terrorism together. He stated that Israel's security agencies will investigate the incident and improve protocols to prevent similar events in the future.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- Israel vows to get to root of flydubai attack, no motive yet determined brecorder.com
- UAE and Israel launch probes after Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv forced down egyptindependent.com
- FlyDubai suspends Israel flights iol.co.za
- Ben-Gvir to demand extradition of flydubai pilot to Israel after attempted terror hijacking jpost.com
- Indian pilot Smit Machchhar stable after Flydubai flight cockpit attack business-standard.com
