Netanyahu links Flydubai attacker to Islamist radical indoctrination

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that investigations into the Flydubai crash‑landing that took place on Sept. 8 involved an attacker who was “going to down the plane” and had undergone Islamist radical indoctrination, according to his comments on Fox News.

The incident, which saw a Flydubai aircraft plummet more than 17,000 ft after an Omani national stabbed a pilot, was averted when passengers and crew overpowered the attacker and regained flight control. The disabled aircraft landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.

The flight, FZ1073, departed Dubai at 03:05 GMT on Sept. 8 and fell under emergency protocols at a point near the Israel‑Jordan border. After a brief detour through Jordanian airspace, the plane returned to Saudi airspace and performed a controlled descent.

While the UAE air‑traffic control has launched its own probe into whether the attack was linked to terrorism, Israeli officials are also pursuing the matter, with Mossad allegedly interviewing passengers to understand the attacker’s motives.

Netanyahu added that the attacker was suicidal, saying he repeatedly called out: “kill me, kill me,” and that the incident “shows how vulnerable our flights remain.” He denied any definitive link to Iran, noting it was too early to determine whether Iranian involvement is possible.

The incident has prompted Flydubai to suspend all flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv pending further investigation. Israeli transport authorities have also ordered temporary flight restrictions while emergency rescue operations bring stranded passengers back to Israel.

In a separate development, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India’s embassy in the UAE have praised the Indian pilot who suffered injuries during the attack, calling him a hero and noting that he is recovering well in hospital.