Co-pilot attacks captain on flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, plane makes emergency landing at Tabuk
Passengers and crew stopped the co-pilot after the attack on the captain, and the plane landed in Saudi Arabia; Israel and the UAE are investigating.
A shocking incident took place on flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. It has raised fresh questions about security in the Middle East. The co-pilot attacked the captain, after which the aircraft suddenly dropped thousands of feet.
A major disaster was averted when passengers and other crew members intervened. The aircraft finally had to make an emergency landing at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia.
More than 170 passengers were on board. It has emerged that the co-pilot attacked the captain during the flight. Within seconds, the aircraft's altitude fell sharply. As the situation threatened to go out of control, some passengers rushed towards the cockpit and stopped the co-pilot.
The injured captain managed to open the cockpit door, which let the passengers get in. The relief crew of the aircraft then took control and landed the plane at Tabuk airport. A large loss of life was averted in the incident.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the incident a serious security event. He said the co-pilot's background is being investigated. According to him, it is possible that the co-pilot tried to bring the aircraft down. Netanyahu also claimed that there are signs of a radical ideology in the co-pilot's background.
Meanwhile, authorities in the United Arab Emirates have set up a special team to investigate the matter. The team is trying to establish whether there was a terror motive behind the incident. It is also examining whether it was planned in advance or involved anyone's advice or guidance.
Because of this alleged attempt to target the aircraft, the investigation is no longer confined to security inside the aircraft. The co-pilot's background, his possible motive, whether he acted while in contact with anyone, and whether anyone else was involved are all being looked into.
Investigations are under way in both Israel and the UAE. It will therefore become clear only after further inquiry whether the incident was terror-related or political in nature. The official investigation is not yet complete, so it would be premature to draw any conclusion about the ultimate motive behind the incident.
