By Breitbart News Network | Created at 2026-10-02 01:06:50 | Updated at 2026-10-02 03:07:09
3 hours ago
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that the Omani co-pilot accused of trying to bring down an Israel-bound Flydubai jet had “undergone Islamist radical indoctrination,” as investigators probe whether he acted alone or received outside direction.
Netanyahu said the first officer, who stabbed the plane’s Indian captain before the aircraft plunged more than 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds Wednesday, also appeared intent on dying in the attack.
“The attacker, he calls out to the aircrew, ‘Kill me, kill me,’” Netanyahu told Fox News. “So it’s clear he was suicidal.”
An Israeli official told the Times of Israel that the co-pilot’s social media activity showed signs of jihadist radicalization, including discussion of killing Jews.
“This was a person who was willing to commit suicide,” the official said, adding that investigators believe he was “probably going to try to down that plane,” while cautioning that the investigation remains ongoing.
Passengers who helped overpower the attacker offered a similar account Thursday during a meeting with Netanyahu, describing how they initially bound him inside the cockpit using a headphone cable.
“He shouted, ‘Kill me, kill me,’ in English,” said Yaniv Hayun, the Israeli passenger who helped wrestle the co-pilot away from the controls.
The passengers said they initially did not know whether anyone else aboard the aircraft was involved, prompting them to insist that the attacker communicate with crew members in English so they could understand what was being said.
“We tried to simply maintain control over the situation, because we couldn’t trust anyone,” one passenger said.
The revelations came as a multinational investigation increasingly turned from what happened aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 to why the co-pilot attacked the captain — and whether anyone directed him.
The United Arab Emirates said investigators are examining whether the incident was connected to “any terrorist activity or purpose” or involved “prior planning or direction.”
Saudi authorities, whose preliminary investigation concluded that the co-pilot attacked the captain, transferred the suspect to the UAE on Thursday. Netanyahu said Israeli investigators would participate in the interrogation to determine the attacker’s motives, whether he had accomplices and whether Iran played any role.
“We’ll get to the root of this attacker, whether he had accomplices, whether Iran was behind it,” Netanyahu said. “I think we’ll find out very soon.”
Netanyahu cautioned, however, that it remained “too early to say” whether Tehran had any connection to the attack. Two Israeli security officials similarly told Reuters that Israel had so far identified no Iranian involvement and that the initial assessment was that the co-pilot likely acted alone, although the investigation remains underway.
President Donald Trump offered a markedly different assessment Thursday, saying the information reaching him pointed toward a possible Iranian connection.
“I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes, but we’re working on it right now,” Trump told reporters when asked whether he had been briefed on links between the attacker and Tehran.
Asked whether the United States would retaliate if investigators establish that Iran was responsible, Trump warned, “They’ll be hit very hard.”
“You just ask them,” he added. “They know what happened. They’ll be hit very hard.”
Investigators are also examining how an Omani national was permitted to serve in the cockpit of an Israel-bound flight despite Israeli restrictions involving pilots from countries that do not have diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.
“We have constraints that say you can’t have pilots from countries that don’t have diplomatic relations with Israel,” Netanyahu said, acknowledging that the co-pilot had managed to get through the restrictions.
“There was a loophole here,” he added, “and we’re taking care of that.”
The co-pilot attacked Capt. Smit Machchhar as Flight FZ1073 traveled from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday. Despite suffering serious wounds, Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and overpower his attacker.
Hayun briefly pulled back on the aircraft’s controls as it plunged before qualified pilots traveling aboard the flight took over and ultimately landed the Boeing 737 in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
The 174 passengers survived the attack, with a replacement Flydubai flight carrying them from Saudi Arabia to Israel later Wednesday. Machchhar, hailed by Netanyahu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his actions, was transferred to Abu Dhabi, where Indian officials said Thursday that he was recovering well.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
