The Omani co-pilot accused of attacking Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar during a flight to Israel had previously been identified as a security risk while working with Oman Air, according to senior intelligence and law enforcement officials cited by ABC News.
Sources told the outlet that the suspect was found with extremist material while he was a trainee co-pilot in 2024.
He was later allowed to work in an administrative role, the sources said.
The aircraft then went into a steep descent. “I knew that the aircraft was going down … I had fallen to the ground. The UAE has opened an investigation into the incident. That claim has not been independently established, and investigators are still working to determine what led to the attack. His comments are part of the ongoing investigation and do not by themselves establish the suspect’s motive or any outside involvement.
The suspect was suspended by Oman Air after officials identified him as a security concern in 2024, according to ABC News.
Sources said extremist materials were found in his possession during that period. Machchhar later told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he knew the aircraft was going down and managed to open the cockpit door while injured. I told myself that the door is right there, just open it. I managed to do it and people entered,” he said, according to Reuters. Prosecutors are examining the circumstances and motive, including whether the attack involved terrorist activity or prior planning, according to the UAE state news agency WAM and ABC News. The suspect has reportedly indicated to investigators that he intended to crash the aircraft in Israel, according to sources briefed on the investigation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the suspect as having undergone “Islamist radicalization” and said authorities were examining whether someone else had directed him. Flydubai said it has temporarily suspended its Tel Aviv operations at the request of authorities while an official investigation continues.
