Flydubai co-pilot accused of planning Israel-bound attack

An Omani co-pilot accused of attacking the captain of a Flydubai flight bound for Israel told investigators in the United Arab Emirates that he had planned to crash the aircraft into Ben Gurion Airport, according to an Israeli official. The September 30 incident ended with an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after the captain and others on board restrained the co-pilot and regained control of the plane, reports say. The captain, Smit Machchhar, told India’s leader from a hospital bed in Saudi Arabia that he fought off his co-pilot. Reports say passengers and Flydubai staff helped restrain the man, while two off-duty pilots aboard the aircraft helped bring it to an emergency landing in Tabuk. Machchhar was recovering from stab wounds, according to the account. The Israeli official’s account of the alleged plan has not been independently established in the material available. The reported interrogation took place in the UAE, and the underlying record has not been made public. Investigators are examining the co-pilot’s preparation and whether anyone else assisted or influenced him; no conclusion about those questions has been reported.