Israeli government sources have described the Flydubai flight incident that forced a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv aircraft to divert to Saudi Arabia as a terror attack, saying the apparent objective was to seize control of the plane and crash it.
The comments, shared with NDTV, came after Flight FZ1073 made an emergency landing at Tabuk on Wednesday following an altercation in the cockpit. Flydubai said its crew secured the aircraft and brought it safely to the Saudi airport, with all passengers and crew accounted for.
Israeli sources said investigators may already have an indication of who could be responsible but cautioned against reaching a final conclusion before the inquiry is completed.
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They said the suspected plan was to crash the aircraft soon after control of it was taken, though the plane could also have been brought down after reaching Tel Aviv.
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The officials compared the alleged operation to a “9/11-style” attack and credited the pilots, crew members and passengers with preventing a larger disaster. They said the cockpit door was open when the confrontation began, giving people onboard an opportunity to intervene.
The episode initially raised fears of a hijacking after the aircraft transmitted an unlawful-interference signal, prompting Israel to scramble fighter jets. Subsequent reporting indicated that the crisis involved violence in the cockpit rather than a conventional hijacking.
Israeli officials said the suspected attack may have been intended to damage Israel-UAE ties and undermine the Abraham Accords, the framework under which several Arab countries established or normalised relations with Israel. That motive remains an allegation and has not been independently established.
Flydubai has not attributed a motive to the incident. The airline said the flight was safely diverted and that its scheduled operations were not affected.
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Saudi authorities are investigating the incident, while the injured pilots were taken for medical treatment.
The conflicting stages of the investigation mean the precise motive and circumstances remain unresolved. Israeli officials have characterised the incident as terrorism, while the airline has so far confirmed only the cockpit altercation and emergency diversion.
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