Netanyahu vows severe retaliation if flydubai co-pilot acted on external orders
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the flydubai co-pilot who attacked Captain Smit Machchhar was Islamist-radicalised and warned that anyone who sent him will face a heavy price.
During a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, the co-pilot is accused of stabbing Captain Smit Machchhar, prompting the aircraft to lose altitude rapidly before passengers and two off-duty pilots restored control and landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said investigators found the attacker had been Islamist-radicalised and suggested he might have been sent by an external group, vowing that the sponsor would pay a very heavy price.
He also described the incident as a suicidal act, noting the attacker called for his own death. The United Arab Emirates has launched its own probe, with presidential adviser Anwar Gargash labeling the event a dangerous terrorist act. Israeli Consul General Yaniv Revach and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condemned the attack, praising Machchhar’s bravery.
Why it matters
The incident highlights a potential terrorist threat to civil aviation and could strain regional security cooperation.
How the sides frame it
MODERATE AGREEMENTCenter coverage reports the incident and Netanyahu's claim of an external sponsor, while right-leaning coverage stresses that Netanyahu offered no evidence and frames the warning as premature.
CENTER
Reports the flight incident, Netanyahu’s allegation of an external sponsor, and international condemnations.
RIGHT
Highlights Netanyahu’s warning of a heavy price while noting the absence of evidence and characterizing the claim as premature.
The right emphasises
- Netanyahu warned of a “very heavy price” for any power behind the incident
- he offered no evidence or named any country
- the warning is described as premature amid regional tensions
How this story developed
- Sep 30 Netanyahu hails Indian pilot who thwarted alleged flydubai sabotage
- Sep 30 "Every pilot that is going to be flying into Israel, we are going to know the pilots' identities, know who they are, and do some type of security check," Doron Spielman said.
- Oct 1 U.S. President Donald Trump publicly praised the Indian pilot.
- Oct 1 Netanyahu said Saudi Arabia arrested one of the pilots who allegedly tried to crash a FlyDubai flight.
- Oct 1 Israel’s transport minister ordered a six‑day suspension of Flydubai flights to Israel and Emirates halted code‑share operations on those routes.
- Oct 1 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the second pilot who stabbed the captain on a Fly Dubai flight had undergone Islamist radicalisation.
- Oct 1 The Saudi interior ministry said its initial probe indicates the co-pilot on the Dubai‑to‑Tel Aviv flight assaulted the captain.
- Oct 1 A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced to land in Tabuk after the co-pilot assaulted the captain, injuring both crew members.
- Oct 2 The suspect was transferred to United Arab Emirates authorities.
- Oct 2 A UAE official called the mid-air incident on flydubai flight FZ1073 a terrorist act and praised Indian pilot Smit Machchhar for safely landing the aircraft after a co-pilot attack.
- Oct 2 Modi praised Machchhar for averting disaster.
- Oct 2 Saudi Arabia declined Israel’s request to use military aircraft to retrieve its passengers from Tabuk.
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