Israel says Omani co-pilot likely tried to crash Flydubai plane: “An undercover security agent assisted in subduing the pilot”
Following a joint assessment by the IDF, Shin Bet and Mossad, Israeli officials believe the Omani co-pilot attempted to bring down the aircraft before being subdued by the Emirati pilot and passengers, with an undercover security agent also helping to restrain him.
Israel’s prevailing assessment is that the incident aboard a Flydubai flight bound for Israel on Wednesday was an act of terror, following a joint situation assessment by the IDF, Shin Bet and Mossad.
According to the working hypothesis, the Omani co-pilot attempted to crash the aircraft, while the Emirati pilot, assisted by passengers on board, managed to subdue him.
Saudi Arabia's Tabuk airport, where the plane landed, said that both pilots had been hospitalised after sustaining injuries.
The assessment came after the Flydubai flight transmitted distress signals, made a sharp descent and diverted to Saudi Arabia, prompting the Israeli Air Force to scramble fighter jets amid fears that the aircraft had been hijacked.
An Israeli official said, "An undercover security agent assisted in subduing the pilot, and other pilots on board helped land the aircraft."
Tzvika Manes, CEO of Bank Leumi's underwriting arm Barak Capital Underwriting, was aboard the Flydubai flight and was among the passengers who helped subdue the attacker.
Manes told Calcalist that he was involved in restraining the co-pilot during the incident. He was visibly shaken by what he described as an "incredibly traumatic event."
"My wife was standing near the cockpit because our daughter was in the restroom. Suddenly, she heard shouting coming from the cockpit. She yelled to a relief pilot from who was sitting nearby: 'Go in quickly, see what's happening.'"
"He called for help, and two other men and I entered the cockpit and subdued the attacker. I'm covered in blood. It was insane," Manes said.
According to Manes, a doctor who was aboard the flight treated the injured captain.
The flight departed Dubai at 7:05 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive at Ben Gurion Airport at around 9:30 a.m. About an hour and a half into the flight, as the aircraft entered Jordanian airspace, it transmitted code 7700, the international emergency code.
The aircraft subsequently transmitted code 7500, which indicates unlawful interference or a hijacking, according to aviation tracking data. The plane then turned around, re-entered Saudi airspace and began flying at a significantly lower altitude.
After heading south over Saudi Arabia, the aircraft turned west while remaining over Saudi territory.
Tracking data from Flightradar24 shows the aircraft descending sharply from approximately 34,000 feet to around 14,000 feet. At one point, the tracking system recorded an instantaneous descent rate of approximately 30,976 feet per minute. Sharp fluctuations in the aircraft's ground speed were also observed during the incident.
The latest assessment by Israeli security agencies points to an attempted attack from inside the cockpit rather than an external hijacking. Under the working hypothesis, the Omani co-pilot sought to crash the aircraft, but was overpowered before he could do so.
The incident has raised renewed questions over security procedures surrounding flights between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, particularly as Israeli airlines remain barred from operating flights to the UAE while Emirati carriers continue to serve Israel.
Flydubai has said that flight FZ1073, operating from Dubai to Ben Gurion Airport on September 30, "was involved in an incident during the flight." It said its teams were working with the relevant authorities and that further updates would follow as additional verified details became available.
