02 October,2026 05:12 PM IST | Tel Aviv | mid-day online correspondent
The security crisis unfolded on Wednesday, September 30, aboard a flydubai flight operating from Dubai to Tel Aviv. FILE PIC
As international investigations into the mid-air security scare aboard a flydubai flight intensify, news agency ANI, quoting Israel's i24 News, said an Emirati source had revealed that leaflets and publications from "Free Palestine" groups, along with other pro-Palestinian material, were found among the belongings of the Omani co-pilot.
According to i24 News, the co-pilot had repeatedly expressed support for the Palestinians and hostility towards Israel.
The disclosure comes as investigators examine the co-pilot's alleged Islamic radicalisation and possible terrorist motives.
Meanwhile, The Jerusalem Post, citing sources close to the investigation, reported that the Omani co-pilot did not hold any second nationality. This has raised questions over how a national of a country that does not have diplomatic relations with Israel was cleared to operate the route.
The security crisis unfolded on Wednesday, September 30, aboard a flydubai flight operating from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The Omani co-pilot allegedly stabbed the commander in what appeared to be an attempt to bring down the aircraft. The confrontation triggered a steep descent, with the plane dropping approximately 16,000 feet within two minutes before a hijacking distress signal was transmitted.
Despite sustaining severe injuries, Captain Smit Machchhar fought back against the assailant. Flight crew members and passengers then breached the flight deck and helped restrain the attacker, allowing control of the aircraft to be re-established. The plane subsequently made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with all 180 occupants disembarking without injury.
Further details have emerged about Captain Machchhar's actions and the international investigation into the incident.
According to statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to CBS News, the flight was nearing Israeli airspace when the assault occurred.
Machchhar managed to repel the co-pilot sufficiently to unlatch the cockpit entry. Two non-duty aviators who were onboard subsequently took control of the aircraft and helped land it during the emergency in Tabuk.
The identity of the co-pilot has not yet been publicly disclosed. An Omani official confirmed to CBS News that the assailant was born in Oman and holds Omani citizenship, although Muscat has not formally acknowledged his citizenship publicly.
Netanyahu, while describing the moments inside the cockpit to Fox and Friends, said crew members had to use earphone cords and plastic cuffs to restrain the attacker.
"He is lying on the floor and he calls out to the crew, 'kill me, kill me'. So, it is clear that he was suicidal and was going to down the plane," Netanyahu said, earlier characterising the episode to CBS News as looking "like a suicide attempt."
David Mencer, a spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister, also provided details during an appearance on Fox News' daily news programme "The Story". He said Netanyahu had obtained detailed testimony from a passenger who entered the cockpit alongside flight attendants.
"That pilot wasn't sitting in the pilot's chair," Mencer said. "He was standing over the controls. He was using his feet to destroy the controls of the aircraft while he was attacking that Indian pilot." Mencer added, "His objective was to bring down that airplane."
Netanyahu also told Fox News that "personal information" gathered through ongoing interrogations had led Israeli authorities to conclude that the co-pilot "underwent Islamist radical indoctrination."
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had earlier described the incident as "an attempted jihadist terror attack" and labelled the co-pilot a "terrorist."
US President Donald Trump has also suggested that the co-pilot could have had connections to Tehran, saying his assessment was "based on what I'm hearing."
"We're working on it right now," Trump said. "They're being very open with us. I would say the answer, based on what I'm hearing, is yes. But we're working on it right now."
Trump's remarks went beyond what Netanyahu had said. The Israeli Prime Minister told Fox that it remained "too early to say" whether Iran was involved.
An Israeli security official told CBS News that investigators were examining whether the incident could have been an attempted September 11-style attack, while also investigating whether the perpetrator acted independently. Netanyahu has previously warned of growing security threats targeting Israel and its assets amid ongoing campaigns against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
After his immediate arrest, the suspect was transferred to the United Arab Emirates. A senior Israeli official told CBS News that UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan personally conveyed to Netanyahu his expectation that Saudi authorities would transfer the co-pilot to the UAE.
Israeli investigative personnel have subsequently been sent to the UAE to join the locally led inquiry and help determine whether outside parties orchestrated the attack.
Footage released by Israel's Channel 12 showed the chaos aboard the flydubai flight after Captain Machchhar and passengers thwarted the crash attempt. Filmed from a seat near the cockpit, the footage captured passengers shouting "he tried to crash the plane", yelling "take him out", and urging others to sit down.
After the emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, police teams arrived and passengers told ground staff that the co-pilot "is a terrorist."
Netanyahu had earlier praised the "tremendous act of heroism" displayed by Captain Machchhar, saying the injured pilot managed to unlock the cockpit door while "fighting for his life". According to Netanyahu, Machchhar's actions helped prevent what could have been another 9/11-style crash.
India's Ambassador to the UAE, Deepak Mittal, meanwhile, confirmed that Captain Machchhar is in a stable condition and recovering well in a UAE hospital.
After visiting the captain and his family, Ambassador Mittal said Machchhar's morale was high and that he was "smiling and also laughing."
Speaking to Prasar Bharati after his hospital visit, the envoy described Machchhar as a "brave son of India", praising his response during the mid-air crisis and crediting him with saving hundreds of lives and averting a major catastrophe.
The incident has also had repercussions for regional air travel. Israel's premier carrier El Al announced that repatriation flights meant to bring stranded citizens back from Dubai had been cancelled after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) withdrew landing permissions for the services.
Overnight reports indicated that the UAE had revoked its clearance. However, the Transportation Ministry initially said delays were expected but that the flights would still operate, as reported by The Times of Israel.
In an advisory prominently displayed on El Al's digital platform, the airline said, "due to the cancellation of approval for Israeli companies to land in Dubai, as was reported by the authorities in Israel, we are forced to cancel, at this stage, our rescue flights (LY974-1, LY972) for tomorrow, Friday, October 2."
Flights scheduled for the following week remained on the timetable, according to the announcement, although those services were already fully booked.
According to Channel 12, as reported by The Times of Israel, the cancellation followed extended discussions between senior Israeli and Emirati officials that failed to result in final agreements and authorisations allowing Israeli airline aircraft to land in the UAE.
(With ANI inputs)
