Israel prepared to shoot down a FlyDubai passenger plane carrying more than 150 Israelis after the captain was allegedly attacked in the cockpit, according to two Israeli sources with direct knowledge of the incident.
The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was approaching Israel last week when the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and attempted to crash the aircraft. The account has also been given by Benjamin Netanyahu, passengers and the captain himself.
After the plane plunged 14,000 feet, the Israeli Air Force attempted to contact the cockpit but received no response. A pre-established emergency committee was convened and a command centre was set up, the sources said.
Fighter jets were scrambled and Israeli airspace was closed as officials assessed whether the aircraft had become a hijacked plane. The jets were later recalled when the flight, around 400 miles from Israel, turned towards Saudi Arabia, which scrambled its own aircraft.
Israel’s procedure for a suspected hijacking
The captain was reportedly able to fend off the co-pilot long enough to unlock the cockpit door. Israeli passengers and FlyDubai staff then overpowered the alleged attacker, while two off-duty pilots on board took control of the aircraft.
The flight made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, according to accounts from people on board.
Had Flight 1073 come within a specified distance of Israel, Israeli fighter jets would have entered Jordanian airspace to investigate, the sources said. Pilots would have attempted to make visual contact with the cockpit and assess the condition of the passengers in the cabin.
If the crew remained silent and the aircraft was judged to have been hijacked without demands being made, the matter would have been referred to the defence minister and prime minister, according to the sources. Only the prime minister could authorise the passenger jet to be shot down.
The procedure is intended to prevent a rogue aircraft from striking a high-value target, such as Israel’s Azrieli buildings or Ben Gurion Airport. The sources said a decision to destroy the plane could be viewed as preferable to the prospect of hundreds of people being killed in a crash on the ground.
An Israeli official said the co-pilot told investigators in the United Arab Emirates that he had planned the attack before joining FlyDubai. The man was identified by sources familiar with the investigation as Omani national Hamam al Hamami, who allegedly intended to crash the aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport and had previously flown to Israel.
Israel’s early investigation has indicated that the attempted hijacking was likely to have been a lone-wolf attack. Sources said the inquiry remains under way and that all possibilities are still being examined.
