Israel is investigating how an alleged religious extremist from Oman was cleared to board a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv before a suspected hijacking attempt in which the captain was stabbed and passengers fought to regain control of the aircraft.
The attacker, believed to be an Omani national, is alleged to have assaulted Captain Smit Machchhar while Flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai on Wednesday morning. Passengers and crew then restrained him as the Boeing 737 Max 8 diverted towards Saudi Arabia.
Israeli officials are examining how he was allowed on the flight, given that Oman has no diplomatic relations with Israel and foreign crew flying into Israeli airspace are subject to strict controls.
A colleague of the alleged attacker told an Israeli journalist that the man had displayed “very strange behaviour”, particularly in relation to religious observance. He was said to pray frequently and refuse to shake hands with women.
Yosef Yisrael, a foreign editor and news anchor, said the colleague had expressed remorse and told him: “There is no other way to put it, we hired the services of a terrorist and nearly caused the deaths of 180 people.”
The colleague also questioned how the man had obtained a place on the flight, saying: “Usually only Emiratis fly to Israel. It is not clear how he got on this flight.” The claims have not been independently confirmed, and the suspect’s identity, motive and intentions remain unconfirmed.
Passengers wrestled attacker as aircraft plunged
The plane transmitted the international emergency code 7700 before making a U-turn near the border between Jordan and Saudi Arabia. It briefly used code 7500, indicating unlawful interference or a hijacking.
The aircraft plunged by about 14,000ft in 29 seconds, according to the account in the source material. Passengers and crew grappled with the attacker while the wounded captain lay on the cockpit floor.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later announced that the suspect had been arrested and was being questioned by Saudi authorities. Flydubai has suspended flights to and from Israel while it investigates the incident.
The flight was diverted over Jordanian airspace before landing at Tabuk in north-west Saudi Arabia. A person who heard the mayday call said the pilot’s voice was trembling as he reported that a hijacking was taking place and warned that ambulances would be needed.
Saudi Arabia initially refused permission to land and directed the aircraft towards Jordan, where it was told to await military clearance. The pilot eventually returned towards Saudi Arabia and said he had to land at Tabuk, where the plane touched down about an hour later.
Captain Machchhar, who is being treated in a hospital in Tabuk, has been praised for helping to prevent the aircraft’s systems from being sabotaged. Distressing footage showed him covered in blood as passengers attended to him.
Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayun was also praised by Mr Netanyahu after returning to Tel Aviv. Mr Hayun said he broke through the cockpit door and wrestled with the alleged attacker, crediting skills learned from watching the television programme Air Disasters.
Another passenger, Almog Itali, described the flight as becoming a “rollercoaster” before dropping with a powerful force for about 30 seconds. He said those who intervened had “literally saved our lives”.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz described the incident as an “attempted jihadist terror attack” which had been stopped by the bravery of passengers. Aviation experts said it was remarkable that the aircraft recovered from its steep descent and landed safely.
