TEL AVIV — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Thursday that the co-pilot involved in a mid-air hijacking attempt aboard an Israel-bound Flydubai flight underwent “Islamist radical indoctrination” prior to the violent episode.
Speaking on Fox & Friends, Netanyahu stated that initial intelligence gathered from the suspect’s background points directly to extremist ties.
“The attacker, the co-pilot who attacked the captain, is now being interrogated, but here’s what we do know: First, we know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination,” Netanyahu revealed. “That appears to be something we’re gathering from the information—his personal information.”
The severe security breach occurred on Wednesday aboard Flydubai Flight 1073 en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Authorities identified the suspect as an Omani national who stabbed the aircraft’s captain inside the cockpit and attempted to put the Boeing 737 into a deliberate dive, dropping the plane roughly 16,000 feet in minutes.
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Heroic actions by passengers and off-duty crew members prevented catastrophe. Several individuals rushed the cockpit to subdue the attacker, allowing a off-duty pilot on board to stabilize the aircraft and execute an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. All 174 passengers survived without life-threatening injuries.
Netanyahu addressed security oversights that allowed the attacker onto the flight, noting a gap in screening protocols. Because Oman does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Israel, foreign pilots from such nations are typically restricted from flying routes into Israeli airspace. Netanyahu pledged that officials are closing the screening loophole immediately.
The co-pilot remains under interrogation by regional authorities as Israeli intelligence agencies continue investigating the extent of his radical connections.
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