Flydubai co-pilot attempted terrorist act with axe: UAE

Investigations into an incident aboard a Flydubai flight have concluded that the co-pilot attempted to commit a terrorist act, as Israel launched rescue flights to bring home citizens stranded in Dubai after the airline suspended services, reported Xinhua.

The co-pilot executed the alleged plan mid-flight, attacking the captain with a crash axe inside the cockpit and attempting to seize control of the aircraft, the Emirates News Agency reported Saturday, quoting Attorney-General of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Hamad Saif Al Shamsi.

Flydubai flight FZ1073, carrying 174 people, was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when it was diverted and landed safely in the Saudi city of Tabuk.

The Dubai-based carrier said an altercation broke out in the cockpit during the flight, prompting crew members to intervene and secure the aircraft.

Saudi authorities later said both pilots were hospitalized after landing, while the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority said several crew members sustained injuries.

All 174 passengers were then flown to Tel Aviv on a replacement flight by Flydubai. The airline subsequently suspended all services to and from Israel.

In the wake of the suspension, the first five rescue flights carrying Israelis stranded in Dubai landed at Ben Gurion Airport on Saturday morning, the Israel Airports Authority said, as part of an operation to bring them home.

On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the co-pilot had undergone "radicalization" and "came to crash the plane with all passengers on board."

"We are investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price," Netanyahu said in a recorded video statement.

On the same day, UAE Presidential Adviser Anwar Gargash called the incident a "terrorist act," praising Indian captain Smit Machchhar for averting a disaster after being attacked by his co-pilot.

Gargash wrote on social media platform X that Machchhar deserved "every appreciation" for displaying courage and responsibility in the face of a potential catastrophe.