International Probe Underway After Flydubai Pilot Attack

Investigators are actively working to determine the motive behind an Omani co-pilot's stabbing attack on the captain of a Flydubai flight bound for Israel, which sent the aircraft into a dangerous descent. The incident occurred on Thursday, with the plane carrying 174 people, mostly Israelis, from the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv before ultimately landing in Saudi Arabia. Passengers and crew intervened to stabilize the aircraft after the bloodied Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, managed to open the cockpit door.

Saudi authorities, in collaboration with several countries including Israel, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and Oman, are probing the incident. A regional official, speaking anonymously due to the ongoing investigation, stated that "All possible scenarios, from terrorism to mental disorders, are being looked into," confirming the Omani co-pilot's arrest. Video footage recorded by passenger Shota Musayev, a dentist who treated the captain, shows the co-pilot restrained on his knees.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the attacker underwent Islamist indoctrination but provided no supporting details, and his office declined further comment when asked for evidence. The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia reported Captain Machchhar to be in stable condition, with passengers crediting him for enabling their intervention.

What to watch: Developments in the multi-national investigation into the co-pilot's motive.

Editor's note: The article provides a comprehensive summary of the incident, the investigation, and the political context provided in the source.

This article is AI-generated and fact-gated. Original reporting: News18 World