Omani co-pilot stabs Indian captain on flydubai flight to Israel

An Omani co-pilot allegedly stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar on a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, triggering a sharp mid-air plunge before passengers helped restrain him. The episode has raised serious security questions as Saudi, UAE and Israeli authorities investigate the motive.

In Short

• The aircraft descended 16,000 feet in roughly one minute mid-flight
• Israeli passengers entered the cockpit and restrained the suspect co-pilot
• Captain Smit Machchhar remained stable after the emergency landing in Tabuk

The identity and motive of an Omani co-pilot who stabbed his Indian captain on a flydubai flight to Israel, forcing the aircraft into a dangerous plunge before it landed in Saudi Arabia, remained unclear on Thursday as investigators worked to establish what happened.

Israeli passengers on the flight, which was carrying 174 people from the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv, said the bloodied captain managed to open the cockpit door and let them in. They then grappled with the co-pilot and helped stabilise the aircraft after a descent so sharp that its rudder was torn away.

Saudi and UAE authorities have said little publicly beyond confirming that investigations were under way. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot had been arrested. In an interview with CNN aired on Wednesday evening, Netanyahu said the attacker was an Omani national and was being interrogated in Saudi Arabia.

One of the passengers who responded, Asaf Rajuan, said in a statement shared by Israel's presidency: "We felt helpless, suspended in midair, and I didn't know who to turn to. But it was all instinct to survive."

Captain Smit Machchhar, who has been widely praised for his role during the incident, was in stable condition, the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said overnight. The condition of the arrested co-pilot was not clear.

US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he and Netanyahu had discussed the incident "at length" over the phone and that it seemed as though the co-pilot "was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job". Netanyahu also 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 included people from Israel, India and the UAE. The US State Department said four passengers were American citizens. flydubai said its flights to and from Israel would be suspended while the investigation was under way.

Netanyahu had warned in recent days of unspecified heightened security threats. Israel is a week away from the anniversary of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on the country, which triggered the war in Gaza.

About two and a half hours after leaving Dubai, the flight dropped from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet in about a minute, according to Flightradar24. The aircraft, identified as a Boeing 737 Max 8, then made an erratic circle near the Jordanian border before landing in the Saudi city of Tabuk about an hour later.

A person who heard the flight's communications with air traffic control said the plane was turned away by Saudi Arabia and Jordan before eventually landing in Tabuk, while passengers could be heard screaming in the background. The pilot's voice was trembling as he gave a mayday call and said a hijacking was taking place. The air traffic control operators gave no reason for the refusals. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

The investigation into the attack and the co-pilot's motive was continuing on Thursday, with authorities in the region yet to release more details about the incident that forced the flight to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends