Flydubai co-pilot detained after thwarted crash attempt on Tel Aviv airport
Euronews reported that UAE prosecutors said the 29-year-old Omani co-pilot on a Flydubai Boeing 737 Max 8 intended to steer the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight into Tel Aviv International Airport, citing inspiration from the September 11 attacks. The plot was foiled after passengers and crew restrained the attacker and the aircraft made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where the co-pilot was taken into custody. The incident began when the co-pilot stabbed the captain in the cockpit, prompting a fight that forced the flight to divert to Saudi Arabia.
Israeli officials scrambled fighter jets and later said the motive remained unclear, while investigators from Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia said the attacker appeared to have acted alone. Passengers, including an off-duty Indian pilot and a Georgian dentist, helped restrain the assailant and tended to the wounded captain. The event has prompted calls for tighter pilot vetting and international data-sharing on crew backgrounds.
