Israeli news outlet Channel 14 reported Wednesday evening that an Omani pilot stabbed the captain of a flight from Dubai to Israel and attempted to crash the aircraft. Further details on the flight's status and the condition of those on board were not immediately available.
Channel 14 reported Wednesday evening that an Omani pilot stabbed the captain of a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Israel and attempted to crash the aircraft. Israeli security sources subsequently assessed that the pilot acted alone as a lone wolf, with no indication of state or terror organization involvement. Sources told Kan News the attacker was not mentally disturbed.
The Zioneer reported at 16:59 Jerusalem that the Israeli defense establishment had not yet opened its own investigation into the incident. At 18:55, Israeli security officials ruled out a terror motive and assessed the pilot acted alone. An Israeli official told i24NEWS at 19:10 that the current assessment was a lone wolf. By 19:22, multiple Israeli media outlets corroborated that assessment. At 19:41, security sources told Kan News there was no indication the pilot was of unsound mind.
Unconfirmed reports on social media described the captain as an Indian national who subdued the attacker and was hailed as a hero. The captain's condition and the exact sequence of events remain unconfirmed by official sources.
The question of why the pilot acted remains unanswered. Israeli security officials said they will seek information from the ongoing investigation to determine if the pilot was influenced by any external actor, though the lone wolf assessment holds for now. The incident raises concerns about aviation security on flights to Israel.
8 developments
- DevelopingBen-Gvir: Israel Should Seek Extradition of Flydubai Co-Pilot
- StrongFlydubai passengers tell New York Post: crew asked us to release terrorist co-pilot
- DevelopingN12 publishes cockpit footage from Flydubai flight, shows wounded pilot and passengers' arrest fears
- StrongDoctor who saved stabbed Flydubai captain recounts cockpit struggle
Source and signal
- Open-source intake