Israeli authorities have shifted their assessment and are not ruling out a terrorism angle in the mid-air incident aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073 that was travelling from Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates to Ben Gurion in Israel.
Earlier, authorities said that the flight was diverted after a ‘violent clash’ between the two pilots.
Earlier reporting noted: Israeli media had earlier reported that one of the pilots was of Russian origin, and the other was from Ukraine, but Israeli officials have ruled that out. A second team of pilots in civilian clothes, later made an emergency landing at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. It emerged later that the incident on Wednesday was caused by a fight between the pilots of FZ1073.
The flight later landed safely in Tabuk, a civilian and military base in Saudi Arabia. The co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and attempted to take control of the plane which was carrying approximately 180 passengers. Earlier reporting noted: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an emergency meeting as Israeli media reported there were 180 Israeli passengers onboard. The incident occurred about 2.5 hours after takeoff, according to Flight Radar.
The aircraft first issued an international emergency signal and later changed it to a hijacking or unlawful interference code, according to a report by The Times of Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has described the situation as being “under control” after he held consultations about the aviation incident. Israeli officials have now told NDTV that one of the pilot was from the UAE and his co-pilot was Omani. The officials further said that the Omani co-pilot stabbed Emirati pilot and tried to take control of the plane. The official also said that they are not ruling out the possibility of a terrorist attack.
Earlier reporting noted: A flydubai commercial flight, on its way from Dubai to Tel Aviv, sent two distress signals, one of which was related to a possible hijacking of the aircraft.
