UAE Probes Possible Terror Link in Flydubai FZ1073 Cockpit Attack

Why it matters

The UAE attorney general's order turns Wednesday's mid-air emergency into a formal counter-terrorism investigation. With 174 people aboard flight FZ1073 — 166 of them Israeli nationals — the probe's conclusion on motive will shape aviation security and regional diplomacy in the days ahead.

On October 1, UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi ordered the formation of a dedicated investigative team to examine whether "terrorist activity or intent, prior planning or direction" was involved in the attack, according to the UAE state news agency. The attacker is being questioned in Saudi Arabia after the plane diverted to Tabuk.

The incident occurred Wednesday, September 30, on flydubai flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737-8 flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain, Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, and attempted to crash the aircraft. Flightradar24 data showed the plane plunging about 17,000 feet in roughly a minute.

Captain Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, and passengers subdued the attacker; an off-duty relief crew then diverted the aircraft to Tabuk, where it landed safely.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alleged in a Fox News interview that the co-pilot had undergone "Islamic extremist indoctrination" — an allegation that has not been independently confirmed. Israel's preliminary assessment is that the attacker acted alone. Emirates has suspended its codeshare arrangement with flydubai on the Tel Aviv route.

Sources: Reuters (Jerusalem/Dubai, Oct 1); UAE state news agency.