flydubai mid-air attack: Saudi hands over Omani co-pilot to UAE after cockpit assault on Tel Aviv flight

Saudi Arabia has handed a flydubai co-pilot to the United Arab Emirates after a cockpit assault on flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv forced an emergency landing in Tabuk. Investigators are examining whether the Omani co-pilot only assaulted Captain Smit Machchhar or also tried to seize control of the aircraft.

The UAE has opened its own investigation and its judicial authorities are examining what happened on board and what led to the emergency diversion. Investigators are examining the cockpit assault, the motive behind it and whether he tried to seize control of the aircraft.

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Attacker co-pilot handed over to the UAE

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry said its initial investigation indicated that the co-pilot had assaulted the captain during the flight. It said the preliminary probe was carried out with UAE security teams.

After the aircraft landed safely in Tabuk on Wednesday, Saudi authorities detained the co-pilot and questioned him before handing him over to UAE authorities. The ministry said both pilots were treated in hospital for injuries and were medically cleared before leaving for Abu Dhabi on Thursday morning. The UAE Foreign Ministry said it was "closely following" the incident.

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What happened on board flight FZ1073

Background information on the incident said the Boeing 737 MAX was carrying 174 passengers, including 170 Israelis, when the co-pilot attacked Machchhar at an altitude of 36,000 feet. During the struggle, Machchhar opened the locked cockpit door and passengers rushed in and subdued the attacker.

Passenger Yaniv Hayoun later said in a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he was the first to enter the cockpit and helped overpower the pilot. During the incident, the aircraft plunged rapidly to around 16,000 feet. From there, two on-duty pilots took control and landed it in Tabuk, in north-eastern Saudi Arabia.

Captain Smit Machchhar health update

According to the Indian mission, Ambassador to the UAE Deepak Mittal visited Machchhar and his family at the hospital. In a social media post, the mission said, "Captain Machchhar is in good health and recovering well." It added that the embassy remained in close coordination with local authorities to ensure his continued medical care and well-being.

Machchhar, who worked with SpiceJet for 11 years, also received praise after the incident. Netanyahu said on X, "My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery." Trump said Machchhar was "in very bad shape... but he had the sense to, amazing, to, in a way he was a hero to open the door."

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Does the incident have an Iran connect?

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump said the Omani co-pilot could be linked to Iran. Asked by reporters whether the flydubai pilot was linked to Iran, Trump replied, "I would say the answer, based on what I'm hearing, is yes, but we're working on it right now." He had earlier said the attack could be "a terrorist or perhaps a whack job".

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz described the attack as an "attempted jihadist terror attack", while the UAE said it was investigating whether the incident was a terror plot. Authorities are examining the motivation behind the attack, what happened inside the cockpit, and whether the co-pilot tried to take control of the aircraft or crash it.