UAE Attorney General Confirms Flydubai Co-pilot's Mid-Air Attack Was an 'Attempted Terrorist Act'

The UAE's attorney general announced on Saturday that the co-pilot aboard a flydubai flight, which was forced to divert to Saudi Arabia following an emergency incident, "attempted to carry out a terrorist act".

Dr Hamad Saif Al Shamsi stated that investigations revealed the co-pilot on flight FZ1073 attacked the captain inside the flight deck using a crash axe in an attempt to seize control of the aircraft. The attorney general noted that ongoing investigations aim to establish the full circumstances, motives, and any potential links to the incident, alongside completing technical examinations and analyzing physical and digital evidence. The final results will be disclosed once all necessary procedures are concluded, he added.

Dr Al Shamsi previously directed a specialist team to examine the security incident on the plane, which was traveling from Dubai airport to Tel Aviv on Wednesday.

Capt Smit Machchhar, the pilot of the flight, has been hailed as a hero for his actions that helped save the lives of 172 passengers and crew members. Capt Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door to secure assistance after being attacked by the co-pilot, during which the aircraft plunged 14,000ft. After overpowering the assailant, a small group of passengers and a reserve pilot steadied the aircraft and successfully landed the Boeing 737 in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday.

In his first public comments since the ordeal, Capt Machchhar spoke to Indian Prime Minister Modi on Friday during a 10-minute phone call from an Abu Dhabi hospital bed. "In that moment I was fighting for my life," said Capt Machchhar, whose head and hands were covered in bandages. "But there was a moment then when I realised that if I didn’t do something... I had fallen down, I had so many injuries but I thought then if I don’t get up... I had been flying for 17 years, I have been captain for the last 11 years. With my eyes closed, I know what is happening in the plane."

flydubai chief executive Ghaith Al Ghaith praised the crew on Friday for securing and landing the aircraft safely, while also thanking the passengers who assisted during the mid-air emergency.

After departing Dubai International Airport, flight FZ1073 was diverted over Jordanian airspace toward Saudi Arabia and transmitted two emergency signals. According to the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, the aircraft descended rapidly before landing at Tabuk Airport in north-western Saudi Arabia.

Mr Al Ghaith expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia for its "swift and professional response" following the diversion. "I also thank the UAE authorities and relevant stakeholders for their support in helping our customers and crew return home," he added. "I know there are many questions about what happened on board FZ1073. A full official investigation, led by the relevant authorities and fully supported by flydubai, is under way. It is important that we allow this process to establish the facts."