Flydubai Co-Pilot Handed Over To UAE As Probe Into Mid-Air Stabbing Of Captain Widens
Saudi authorities handed the suspect to UAE investigators as they examine a possible terrorism motive in the attack that injured a flight captain.
- Saudi Arabian authorities transferred the Omani co-pilot accused of attacking Captain Smit Machchhar to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday. The suspect remains under investigation following Wednesday's incident aboard flight FZ1073, which safely landed in Tabuk.
- The aircraft plunged more than 14,000 feet after the co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar in the cockpit. Passengers and crew intervened to restrain the attacker using earphone cords, ensuring all 174 people on board survived.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News the suspect underwent "Islamist radical indoctrination" and appeared suicidal. Colleagues previously described the pilot as a "religious extremist" who frequently displayed unusually strict religious behavior.
- Asked if the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps placed the pilot aboard, United States President Donald Trump remarked "It could have been." UAE authorities continue investigating whether the attack involved terrorist activity or prior planning.
- Recovering in the United Arab Emirates, Machchhar received a visit from UAE Deepak Mittal. With Israel and Oman lacking diplomatic relations, investigators are examining the pilot's background and potential accomplices as the inquiry remains in its initial stages.
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Deccan Chronicle
Saudi Arabia Hands Over flydubai Co-Pilot to UAE as Investigators Probe Midair Stabbing Incident
The transfer comes as investigators race to establish the motive behind the terrifying midair assault aboard the commercial airliner, which was bound for Israel.
Flydubai flight FZ1073 was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when a fight broke out in the cockpit between the Omani co-pilot and Captain Smit Machhar. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing in the Saudi city of Tabuk. According to an initial investigation by the Saudi Interior Ministry, the co-pilot assaulted the captain. Saudi authorities detained and interrogated him, then extradited him to the UAE.
Saudi Arabia hands over flydubai co-pilot to UAE as investigators probe midair stabbing incident - The Tribune
Saudi Arabian authorities have handed over the flydubai co-pilot accused of stabbing the flight’s captain during a midair attack to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Fox News reported on Thursday (local time).
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