The identity and motive of an Omani copilot who stabbed his captain aboard a flydubai flight from the United Arab Emirates to Israel remained unclear on Thursday, as authorities in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi released little beyond confirmation that inquiries were under way. The aircraft, a Boeing 737 Max 8 carrying 174 people, diverted to the Saudi city of Tabuk after a violent struggle in the cockpit sent it plunging from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet in roughly a minute.
Israeli passengers have described how the wounded Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, managed to open the cockpit door and let them in before they overpowered the copilot and stabilised a descent so severe that the plane's rudder was torn away. "We felt helpless, suspended in midair and I didn't know who to turn to. But it was all instinct to survive," said Asaf Rajuan, one of the passengers who intervened, in a statement circulated by Israel's presidency.
A struggle at altitude
According to Flightradar24, the flight left Dubai and, about two and a half hours later, entered a steep descent before making an erratic circle near the Jordanian border and landing in Tabuk roughly an hour afterwards. A person who monitored communications with air traffic control said the plane was turned away by both Saudi Arabia and Jordan before it was finally cleared to land, with passengers screaming in the background. The pilot's voice was trembling as he issued a mayday call and reported a hijacking.
The UAE's chief prosecutor confirmed on Thursday that a probe had been opened, state media reported. The official news agency WAM said the attorney general had ordered the investigation and that a team had begun work, including to establish "the degree to which (the incident) was linked to any terrorist activity or intent." Saudi and Emirati officials have otherwise said little publicly.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the copilot had been arrested and was being interrogated in Saudi Arabia. In an interview with CNN aired on Wednesday evening, he identified the attacker as an Omani national. US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he and Netanyahu had discussed the incident "at length" by phone and that the copilot appeared to be "perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job."
Netanyahu said he had spoken with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who agreed that Israel would join the interrogation of the suspect. Israel's foreign ministry said those on board were citizens of Israel, India and the UAE, while the US State Department said four passengers held American citizenship. Flydubai has suspended its flights to and from Israel pending the investigation.
Heroism awards and regional context
Captain Machchhar was reported to be in stable condition, according to the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised him in a statement on Thursday, calling him a "HERO" and saying: "In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others." Modi added that Machchhar's "valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy."
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on Thursday he would present "heroism" awards to four Israelis who helped subdue the copilot. The condition of the arrested copilot was not immediately clear.
The episode comes as Israel approaches the first anniversary of the Hamas-led attack of 7 October 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza. Netanyahu had warned in recent days of unspecified, heightened security threats. The flight's route from Dubai to Tel Aviv is one of the few direct air links between the Gulf and Israel, and its suspension could complicate travel for passengers across the region.
For European carriers and regulators, the incident raises familiar questions about cockpit security and the sharing of threat information with partners in the Middle East. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has not issued any immediate directive, but airlines operating in the region will be watching the investigation closely. The involvement of Saudi and Emirati authorities, alongside Israeli and American officials, underscores how quickly a single in-flight attack can become a multi-jurisdictional security matter.
Investigators have yet to establish what drove the copilot to act. Until they do, the focus will remain on the passengers and crew who prevented a far worse outcome — and on the captain whose decision to open the cockpit door, despite his injuries, gave them the chance to intervene.
