Jerusalem/Dubai, Oct 1 (Reuters) – Questions arose Thursday about the motives and background of the co-pilot who stabbed the commander of a passenger plane bound for Israel, in what Israeli authorities described as an apparent attempt to crash the plane with more than 170 people on board.
The disaster was averted on Wednesday on Flydubai flight FZ1073, from Dubai to Tel Aviv, after the wounded captain managed to unlock the cabin door, allowing passengers to subdue the aggressor and a standby crew aboard to land the plane in Saudi Arabia.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said that the aggressor is being investigated in Saudi Arabia, where the plane landed at Tabuk airport, and that he believed the individual would be taken to the United Arab Emirates.
“We will be monitoring and, possibly, also participating in that investigation,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity.
Asked whether there was any indication of Iranian involvement, Netanyahu said it was too early to say. “We will get to the origin of the matter about this aggressor, whether he had accomplices, whether Iran was behind it. I think we will find out very soon,” Netanyahu said.
There was no official indication from Israel of Iranian involvement.
The Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, said on Wednesday that Israel’s preliminary information indicated that the co-pilot intended to crash the plane, describing him as a terrorist, although Netanyahu had referred to the case only as “a grave security incident.”
The United Arab Emirates launched investigations to determine the circumstances and motives and to determine “whether the incident was connected to any terrorist activity or purpose, or involved premeditation or prior planning,” the UAE state news agency WAM reported on Thursday.
The UAE judicial authorities have jurisdiction over the incident because the aircraft is registered in the UAE and flies under its flag, the statement said, adding that UAE law applies to crimes committed on board, even if they occur outside the country’s territory.
On Wednesday, an Israeli official identified the aggressor as an Omani citizen.
Omani authorities did not comment on the news.
The flight plunged nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds while over Saudi Arabia, before passengers and crew were able to neutralize the aggressor and land the aircraft.
Saudi Arabia did not issue any statement on its investigations.
