After the dramatic events on a flydubai flight that spawned claims of a hijacking attempt by the co-pilot, the focus has now shifted to the investigation into what transpired inside the cockpit of the flight that veered off its path and landed in Saudi Arabia, put West Asia on tenterhooks amid an ongoing war, and made global headlines.
Co-pilot attacked pilot
The name of the co-pilot, who is believed to have attacked pilot Smit Machchhar in an apparent attempt to take control of the aircraft, has not been released. Hours after Wednesday’s incident on the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, some Israeli officials and media outlets identified the co-pilot as an Omani national. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, echoed him; he praised the pilot and spoke with him and his family. Saudi officials took custody of the co-pilot, who was overpowered by passengers, immediately after the plane landed in Tabuk. It was not clear whether he attacked Captain Machchhar with a knife—which would mean security guidelines were somehow violated, as sharp objects are not allowed on board—or with the crash axe, which is standard safety equipment inside commercial aircraft cockpits. The UAE, too, has not divulged much about the incident.
Netanyahu praised him for thwarting what he called a 9/11-type attack, a reference to the September 11 strikes in 2001 in which terrorists hijacked airplanes and crashed them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000 people.
It was the quick thinking of Captain Machchhar—an Indian national who is undergoing treatment for the wounds he suffered in the attack—and a group of passengers that prevented what could have been a major disaster, according to several accounts. Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry said a preliminary probe into the emergency landing of the flydubai flight found that “the pilot was assaulted by his co-pilot, resulting in various injuries to both”, according to Al Jazeera. The report said the initial investigation was carried out with the help of “a security team from the United Arab Emirates”. It said it was “closely following the incident involving flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai International Airport to Tel Aviv, which was diverted and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”. When Indian officials met Captain Machchhar in Abu Dhabi after he was airlifted to the Emirati capital from Saudi Arabia, they were requested not to ask him any questions related to the incident, according to sources. The sources, who are privy to the developments, also said Machchhar is recovering well and that his family, which lives in Dubai, is taking care of him.
On Thursday, Netanyahu told Fox News that the pilot had undergone religious Islamic radicalisation in recent months. He was questioned by Saudi security services and handed over to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday night.
At a time when US President Donald Trump has hinted at Iran’s role and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said a probe is needed to ascertain whether Tehran was involved, the flydubai investigation will have to answer what prompted the co-pilot’s actions, whether he was acting alone or as part of a larger plan, what he used in the attack, whether he was able to smuggle a sharp object on board, and whether he received any help.
