Flydubai Cockpit Attack Prompts Multinational Investigation

A Flydubai copilot allegedly attacked and stabbed the captain of Flight FZ1073 during its Dubai-to-Tel Aviv journey on September 30, prompting an emergency diversion to Saudi Arabia. The injured captain, Smit Machchhar, managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to intervene and restrain the copilot. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Israel are investigating the attack and its motive. The aircraft lost altitude during the cockpit confrontation. Accounts of the descent vary, and investigators have not publicly established its precise scale. After passengers and crew subdued the attacker, other pilots aboard helped take control of the aircraft, which landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Machchhar received medical treatment for his injuries. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said initial information indicated the Omani copilot had undergone Islamist radical indoctrination. He cautioned that investigators had not reached final conclusions. Israeli officials have also said their initial assessment was that the copilot acted alone, though that assessment has not resolved whether the attack was planned or whether anyone else was involved.