Saudi hands Omani co-pilot in Flydubai flight incident to UAE
The Omani co-pilot involved in a violent incident aboard a Flydubai flight has been handed over from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates for further investigation. The incident occurred on Flydubai flight FZ1073, which was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain, Smit Machchhar, and attempted to take control of the aircraft.
Despite sustaining injuries, Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to restrain the assailant. The aircraft descended from around 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet before making an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that the co-pilot may have undergone Islamist indoctrination and was attempting to crash the plane.
Israeli officials are also taking part in the investigation, and Israel has requested that the co-pilot be sent to Israel for questioning. The UAE has jurisdiction over the incident as the aircraft is registered there. US President Donald Trump raised the possibility of an Iranian connection, though he did not provide evidence. Netanyahu stated that it was too early to determine if Iran was involved in the incident.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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