In short
- The United Arab Emirates prosecutor general said the co-pilot of a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv attacked the captain with a crash axe in an attempt to take control of the aircraft.
- The plane was carrying more than 170 people and plunged more than 17,000ft (5,200m) two and a half hours into its journey.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker was an Omani national.
- Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed, airlifted to Abu Dhabi and is reported to be in a stable condition.
- The UAE state news agency said the country had begun investigating whether the incident was linked to any terrorist activity or purpose.
The co-pilot of a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv attacked the captain with a crash axe in an attempt to take control of the aircraft, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general has said. The plane, carrying more than 170 people, plunged more than 17,000ft (5,200m) two and a half hours into its journey.
What happened in the cockpit?
Captain Smit Machchhar said he was lying injured on the cockpit floor when he realised the aircraft was sinking and decided he had to act. “I told myself to go for one last push to open the door from inside,” he said. Passengers then entered the cockpit and overpowered the attacker, while crew on duty travelling on the flight landed the plane safely. A crash axe is usually kept in the cockpit in case of emergencies.
In a separate incident, a Flydubai flight to Israel diverted to Saudi Arabia after an alert.
Who carried out the attack?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot who carried out the attack was an Omani national. He told Fox News on Thursday that, after being subdued, the attacker called out to the crew, “Kill me, kill me!” Netanyahu said it was clear the man was suicidal and added: “It looks very likely that he was going to down the plane.” He also said the attacker “underwent Islamist radical indoctrination”.
What is the UAE investigating?
The attorney general of the United Arab Emirates told state media that investigations were ongoing to determine the full circumstances and motives of the incident. The country’s state news agency said the UAE had begun investigating whether the “incident was linked to any terrorist activity or purpose”.
How is the captain?
Machchhar was stabbed in the attack and taken to a nearby hospital before being airlifted to Abu Dhabi, where he is reported to be in a stable condition. The Indian embassy in the UAE said on Thursday that he was in “good health and recovering well”. Machchhar said: “I am confident that the recovery will be there and I will become fit and healthy again.”
Frequently asked questions
What happened on the Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv?
The United Arab Emirates prosecutor general said the co-pilot attacked the captain with a crash axe in an attempt to take control of the aircraft. The plane, carrying more than 170 people, plunged more than 17,000ft (5,200m) two and a half hours into its journey.
Who was the co-pilot who attacked the captain?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot who carried out the attack was an Omani national. Netanyahu told Fox News that the attacker, once subdued, called out to the crew, “Kill me, kill me!”
Is the captain of the Flydubai flight recovering?
Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed in the attack, taken to a nearby hospital and then airlifted to Abu Dhabi, where he is reported to be in a stable condition. The Indian embassy in the UAE said he was in “good health and recovering well”.
Is the UAE treating the incident as terrorism?
The UAE’s state news agency said the country had begun investigating whether the “incident was linked to any terrorist activity or purpose”. The UAE attorney general said investigations were ongoing to determine the full circumstances and motives.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. Pilots Travel — World Travel Adventures / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)