Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said investigations into the Flydubai flight that plummeted 17,000 feet mid‑journey have revealed the attacker had "Islamist radical indoctrination."
The incident occurred on flight FZ1073, which took off from Dubai International Airport at 03:05 GMT en route to Tel Aviv. Shortly after reaching 30,000 feet, the plane dropped to 13,000 feet within two minutes before passengers and crew subdued a man who’d stabbed a co‑pilot and tried to seize control.
Netanyahu told Fox News that the suspect, an Omani national, was "going to bring down the plane" and that he had advocated a suicide‑type behaviour, saying the man "was calling out to the crew ‘kill me, kill me’."
Officials in the United Arab Emirates have launched investigations to determine whether the attack was linked to a broader terrorist plot, while the U.S. and Israel are exploring a possible Iranian connection. President Trump and UAE officials have hinted that Iran could be responsible, but no definitive blame has been placed.
The plane managed to divert into Saudi Arabian airspace, eventually landing safely at Tabuk Airport in the north‑west of Saudi Arabia. The flight has since been suspended, with Flydubai conducting its own probe.
In the wake of the event, Israeli transport authorities have tightened security protocols for flights to Israel, and Hezbollah has been cautioned by the UAE to refrain from capitalising on the incident. The incident has also prompted discussions about passenger background checks, especially for nationals from countries not formally diplomatic with Israel.
