The Omani co-pilot accused of attacking Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar and sending Flight FZ1073 into a steep dive had undergone what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as “Islamist radical indoctrination”, as investigators continue to examine the motive behind the mid-air incident.
Netanyahu said investigators had uncovered personal material indicating the Omani national had developed Islamist tendencies, while stressing that no final conclusion had yet been reached about the motive.
“We know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination,” Netanyahu told Fox News.
“That appears to be something we’re gathering from the information, his personal information.”
The co-pilot has not been publicly identified. However, a WSJ reports says that co-pilot had previously been banned from flying by Oman over concerns he had adopted radical ideological views.
The incident occurred on Flydubai Flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 passengers and crew when the co-pilot allegedly attacked Captain Machchhar.
The aircraft subsequently plunged thousands of metres before passengers and crew intervened.
According to accounts cited by Israeli officials, Captain Machchhar was stabbed and seriously injured but managed to activate the cockpit door release, allowing passengers to enter and confront the attacker.
Several passengers then helped restrain the co-pilot, while others assisted the injured captain.
One passenger, Israeli plumber Yaniv Hayoun, was among those who entered the cockpit and helped bring the aircraft out of its dive. Other passengers involved in subduing the attacker included Tzvika Manes and Asaf Rajuan, while dentist Dr Shota Musayev provided medical assistance to Captain Machchhar.
After the co-pilot was restrained, Netanyahu said he was heard calling out, “kill me, kill me”.
The Israeli Prime Minister said this indicated the attacker was suicidal, while also saying it appeared likely that he intended to bring down the aircraft.
However, Netanyahu cautioned that the investigation had not reached final conclusions.
There have also been differing accounts about what the co-pilot allegedly said during the incident. One passenger told media that he heard the words “Allahu Akbar”, but other witnesses did not make the same claim.
When Netanyahu was specifically asked whether the co-pilot had shouted the phrase before attempting to crash the aircraft, he rejected that account.
“No, no, none of that,” Netanyahu said.
Israeli government officials have separately claimed that the co-pilot had discussed killing Jews on social media and had displayed what they described as a “jihadist ideology” online. The claims are based on Israeli investigations and witness accounts, but the source notes that accounts of the incident vary.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has described the incident as a “jihadist terrorist attack”, although government investigators had not formally established the co-pilot’s motivations, connections or links to foreign states at the time of the report.
US President Donald Trump has also suggested that the co-pilot could have had links to Iran, but no evidence establishing such a connection has been provided publicly.
The investigation is being led by authorities in the United Arab Emirates, where the flight originated. Saudi authorities have also been working with the UAE, Israel, the United States and Oman as investigators seek to establish what motivated the attack.
The alleged attack has also raised questions about how an Omani national came to be part of the crew on a flight to Israel, given that Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.
The incident has drawn international attention because of the actions of Captain Machchhar and the passengers who intervened to prevent the aircraft from crashing.
Captain Machchhar, an Indian national, has been praised by both Netanyahu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his actions.
Modi has since spoken with the injured captain by video call and praised his courage, presence of mind and composure.
The captain remains in recovery after the ordeal.
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