Omani co-pilot behind flydubai cockpit attack found with ‘Free Palestine’ leaflets, pro-Palestinian material: Israeli media

Tel Aviv [Israel], October 2 (ANI): As international investigations intensify into the mid-air security scare aboard the Flydubai flight, Israel’s i24 News reported that an Emirati source has revealed that among the belongings of the Omani co-pilot were leaflets and publications from “Free Palestine” groups, alongside pro-Palestinian material.
According to i24 News, the pilot had repeatedly expressed support for the Palestinians and hostility towards Israel.
This is consistent with the broader investigation, which is examining the co-pilot’s Islamic radicalisation and possible terrorist motives.
Meanwhile, Jerusalem Post cited sources close to the investigation and reported that the Omani co-pilot did not hold any second nationality. Questions were raised as how a national without diplomatic relations with Israel, was cleared to fly the route.
The September 30 security crisis involved the Flydubai flight operating from Dubai to Tel Aviv, where the Omani co-pilot allegedly stabbed the commander in an apparent terror-driven attempt to bring down the plane. The confrontation triggered a steep descent, causing the aircraft to drop approximately 16,000 feet within two minutes prior to the transmission of a hijacking distress signal.
Despite sustaining severe injuries, Captain Smit Machchhar fiercely resisted the assailant. Assisted by flight crew members and passengers who breached the flight deck to restrain the attacker, the crew successfully reasserted command of the aircraft. The plane subsequently touched down safely during an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, ensuring that all 180 occupants disembarked without injury.
Following the mid-air breach, further details regarding the captain's heroics and international investigations have emerged. The service was nearing Israeli airspace when the assault occurred, according to statements given by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to CBS News. The captain managed to repel the co-pilot sufficiently to unlatch the cockpit entry, while two non-duty aviators present onboard successfully assumed control of the plane for its emergency touchdown in Tabuk.
The identity of the flight's co-pilot has not yet been publicly disclosed, though an Omani official verified to CBS News that the assailant was born in Oman and possesses Omani citizenship, even though Muscat has not formally acknowledged his citizenship publicly. Detailing the harrowing moments inside the cockpit, Prime Minister Netanyahu revealed to Fox and Friends that 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.”
Adding further perspective, David Mencer, a spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister, disclosed during an appearance on Fox News' daily news programme "The Story" that Netanyahu 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.”
During conversations with Fox News, Netanyahu also stated that “personal information” collated through ongoing interrogations led Israeli authorities to deduce that the co-pilot “underwent Islamist radical indoctrination.” Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz previously characterised the occurrence as “an attempted jihadist terror attack,” labelling the co-pilot a “terrorist.”
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump intimated that the co-pilot could have connections to Tehran, remarking that this assessment was “based on what I'm hearing.”
“We're working on it right now,” Mr 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.”
His remarks exceeded assertions made by Netanyahu, who informed Fox that it remained “too early to say” whether Iranian involvement existed. An Israeli security official informed CBS News that investigators are examining whether the occurrence could represent an attempted September 11-style strike, alongside probing if the perpetrator acted independently. Netanyahu has previously cautioned regarding mounting security hazards targeting Israel and its assets amidst ongoing campaigns against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Following his immediate arrest, the suspect was transferred to the United Arab Emirates. A senior Israeli official revealed to 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. Consequently, Israeli investigative personnel have been dispatched to the UAE to join the locally led inquiry and assist in ascertaining whether outside parties orchestrated the attack.
Footage released by Israel's Channel 12 captured the chaos aboard the Flydubai flight after Captain Smit Machchhar and passengers thwarted the crash attempt. Filmed from a seat near the cockpit, the video records passengers shouting “he tried to crash the plane”, yelling “take him out”, and urging others to sit down. As police teams arrived following the emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, passengers informed ground staff that the co-pilot “is a terrorist.”
Earlier, Netanyahu had hailed the "tremendous act of heroism" by Captain Machchhar, noting that the injured pilot managed to unlock the cockpit door while “fighting for his life,” helping prevent what could have been another 9/11-style crash.
Meanwhile, India’s Ambassador to the UAE, Deepak Mittal, confirmed that Captain Smit Machchhar is in a stable condition and recovering well in a UAE hospital. Visiting the captain and his family, Ambassador Mittal reported that Machchhar’s morale is high and he was “smiling and also laughing.”
Speaking to Prasar Bharati following his hospital visit, the envoy commended Captain Machchhar as a "brave son of India," praising his courageous response during the mid-air crisis for saving hundreds of lives and averting a major catastrophe.
In parallel developments concerning regional travel fallout, Israel’s premier carrier El Al announced that repatriation flights intended to transport stranded citizens back from Dubai have been called off after the United Arab Emirates rescinded landing permissions for the services.
Overnight reports indicated that the UAE had revoked its clearance, though the Transportation Ministry initially stated that delays were anticipated but the journeys would still go ahead, as reported by The Times of Israel.
In an advisory featured prominently on El Al’s digital platform, the company stated that “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.”
Scheduled services for the following week remain on the timetable, according to the announcement, though those departures are entirely booked out.
According to Channel 12, as reported by The Times of Israel, the official cancellation transpired after extended discussions involving high-ranking figures from Israel and Emirati officials failed to yield final pacts and authorisations for Israeli airline aircraft to touch down in the nation. (ANI)