Netanyahu Expects Answers Soon on Attempted Hijack of Israel-Bound Flight

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he expected investigators to soon determine whether a man who allegedly attempted to hijack an Israel-bound flight on Wednesday had accomplices or links to Iran.

Saudi authorities arrested and are questioning the co-pilot. Netanyahu told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday that Israel will be following the investigation closely.

“We’ll get to the root of this attacker, whether he had accomplices, whether Iran was behind it. I think we’ll find out very soon,” Netanyahu said.

Flight FZ1073 was carrying 174 passengers, most of them Israelis. Israeli officials said the struggle began after the co-pilot stabbed the captain, sending the aircraft into a descent of nearly 14,000 feet (4,267 meters) in less than 30 seconds.

The injured captain managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and overpower the attacker. A reserve crew on board then landed the aircraft safely in Saudi Arabia. Flydubai said the circumstances remain unclear and cautioned against premature speculation.

Netanyahu praised Indian pilot Capt. Smit Machchhar on social media, saying his actions prevented what he described as a catastrophic disaster.

“Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker,” the Israeli prime minister said in a Sept. 30 post on X.

Security Concerns

Senior Israeli officials told Epoch Magazine that Israeli authorities prepared for several possible outcomes while the incident unfolded.

These included scenarios of the aircraft crashing in Israel or a neighboring country, the possibility that it might have to be intercepted to prevent a mass-casualty event, or that it could be hijacked and used as leverage in negotiations.

The officials said Israel was subsequently placed on its highest level of alert because of concerns about possible copycat attacks.

They said security agencies were concerned that publicity surrounding the incident, as well as the way the co-pilot allegedly gained control of the situation inside the cockpit, could inspire similar attempts by lone attackers or extremist elements.

The central question for investigators, according to Israeli officials, was no longer how the disaster was prevented, but who may have been behind the alleged plot.

They added that direct access to the suspect is critical because it could help determine whether the suspect acted alone, on behalf of a terrorist organization, or under the direction of a state actor.

Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for Netanyahu’s office, also told Fox News that Netanyahu had spoken with leaders of several countries in the region and that Israel would participate in the interrogation and debriefing of the suspect.

“If this is a terror attack, the long arm of Israel will reach those responsible,” Spielman said in an Oct. 1 post on X.