UAE Attorney General Says Flydubai Co-Pilot Began Carrying Out a ‘Terrorist Act’ on Flight to Israel

The United Arab Emirates’ attorney general has said investigators determined that a Flydubai co-pilot began carrying out what he described as a “terrorist act” by attacking the captain in the cockpit and attempting to take control of the aircraft, according to Al Jazeera. The statement was made on Saturday 3 October.

What Happened on Flight FZ1073

Flight FZ1073 left Dubai for Tel Aviv at 7:05am on Wednesday 30 September, according to Flightradar24 data cited by Al Jazeera. The aircraft was carrying 174 people. It plunged more than 17,000 feet in about two minutes. The co-pilot attacked the Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, by stabbing him, Al Jazeera reported. Mr Machchhar later told Indian Prime Minister Modi that he realised the aircraft was going down and told himself that the door was right there, and that he managed to open it. Two reserve pilots who were on board took control of the jet and landed it in Tabuk, in north-western Saudi Arabia.

The UAE’s Account

The attorney general said the co-pilot attacked the captain using the aircraft’s emergency crash axe and attempted to take control of the aircraft’s controls. Because the aircraft is registered in the UAE, he said, UAE authorities are investigating the circumstances of the incident, its motive and any possible connections. According to Al Jazeera, the UAE has not yet publicly established a motive or said whether investigators believe the co-pilot acted alone. Flydubai flights to Israel remain suspended during the investigation.

Al Jazeera notes that media reports have identified the co-pilot, but that there has been no official confirmation of his identity or beliefs. This article does not name him. Anwar Gargash, a UAE official, wrote on social media that the incident “underscores the importance of the UAE’s early and firm stance: no tolerance for extremism and no leniency towards its rhetoric”.

Why It Matters

Al Jazeera reports that the incident has raised concerns about pilot vetting and aviation security. Because investigators are still working to establish the motive and whether anyone else was connected, the official account may develop, and conclusions about the co-pilot’s background or intentions should wait for the findings of the investigation.