Israel to question flydubai's co-pilot: source

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Israel to question flydubai’s co-pilot: source

October 2, 2026

DUBAI,— Israeli officials plan to question the co-pilot accused of trying to crash a flydubai passenger jet traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, a source familiar with the probe said, Reuters reported.

Passengers and crew stopped the co-pilot on Wednesday after he stabbed the captain aboard flight FZ1073, which was carrying 174 passengers and crew members.

Israeli officials described the attack as an apparent bid to crash the aircraft.

A reserve flydubai pilot who happened to be traveling on the flight took over the controls and landed the plane at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

Saudi authorities detained the co-pilot there.

The co-pilot was moved to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, where Israeli officials are expected to question him, the source said, without naming which Israeli agency would be involved.

A separate Israeli government official told Reuters that Israeli investigators would join the UAE-led inquiry alongside Emirati authorities to determine what happened and examine the suspect’s motives and background.

The UAE foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Israeli involvement in the questioning.

The UAE state news agency said Thursday that Emirati authorities had launched an investigation to establish the circumstances and motives behind the incident, including whether it was tied to terrorism or had been planned in advance.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that Israel was examining whether the co-pilot acted on someone else’s orders.

Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv issues alert, diverted to Saudi Arabia — Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayoun was among the first to try and regain control of the jet. Israeli passengers and crew members reportedly helped restrain one of the pilots, September 30, 2026. Photo: Video/X/via DubaiDiplomacy.com

In a video statement released by his office, he warned that anyone involved would pay a “heavy price.”

Most passengers on the flight were Israeli citizens. Netanyahu said Thursday the co-pilot, an Omani national, had gone through radical Islamist indoctrination and appeared suicidal, though a motive has not been confirmed.

Israel has no formal diplomatic ties with Oman, and Netanyahu said pilots from such countries are barred from operating flights into Israel. How the co-pilot ended up assigned to the Tel Aviv route remains unclear.

Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 showed the aircraft dropped about 16,625 feet in just over 30 seconds while flying over Saudi Arabia during the journey from the UAE.

The route is widely used by Israeli travelers.

The co-pilot’s name has not been released, only his nationality.

The captain, identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar, was praised as a hero by both Netanyahu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Omani officials have not commented on the incident.

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to the president of the United Arab Emirates, praised the Flydubai pilot in a post on X, saying the Indian captain, Smit Mathur, deserves full recognition for his courage and sense of duty during a “dangerous terrorist act.” that could have ended in disaster.

Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic advisor to the UAE President — Diplomatic advisor to the United Arab Emirates President Anwar Gargash, October 22, 2025. Photo: Reuters

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to the president of the United Arab Emirates, said Friday in a post on X that the incident was a “dangerous terrorist act” that could have ended in disaster.

He said the Flydubai pilot, Smit Mathur, deserves full recognition for his courage and sense of duty in facing it.

Gargash said the pilot’s professionalism and moral strength in such a dark moment make him a genuine hero.

The attack has raised security concerns in Israel ahead of national elections set for October 27, the first vote since Islamist radical group Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023. Security has been a central theme of the campaign.

The attack has raised security concerns in Israel ahead of national elections set for October 27, the first vote since the October 7, 2023, attacks by the extremist Islamist militant group Hamas. Security has been a central theme of the campaign.

The United States and Israel struck Iran in February, igniting a conflict that spread to the Gulf region and Lebanon, where Israeli forces have continued fighting the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.

Since coming under Iranian attack this year, the UAE has deepened ties with Israel, relations first established under the 2020 Abraham Accords.

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