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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Friday that whoever may have sent the co-pilot involved in a violent cockpit incident aboard a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv would pay a "very heavy price."
The co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain during the flight on Wednesday, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after passengers and crew members intervened.
In a video message, Netanyahu said investigators were examining whether the co-pilot had been sent by someone else. "We are investigating whether he was sent by someone. Whoever sent this pilot will pay a very heavy price," Netanyahu said.
He also claimed that the picture was becoming clearer by the day and that an attack similar to the Sept. 11 attacks had been prevented. Netanyahu alleged that the pilot, who was reported to be an Omani national, had tried to bring down the aircraft with passengers on board.
The remarks followed several statements Netanyahu made after the incident on Wednesday. Initially, Netanyahu described the motive as unclear and said the episode appeared to be a suicide attempt rather than a conventional hijacking.
"I don't think it was a hijacking," Netanyahu told CBS News. "I think it looks like a suicide attempt."
Later Wednesday, Netanyahu said Israel would investigate whether the attacker had accomplices or whether Iran was behind the incident. "We’ll get to the root of this attacker, whether he had accomplices, whether Iran was behind it. I think we’ll find out very soon," he told Fox News.
On Thursday, Netanyahu went further, claiming that Israel had information indicating that the co-pilot had undergone Islamist radical indoctrination. He also described the co-pilot as suicidal, citing accounts that the attacker had called out for people to kill him after he was subdued.
Netanyahu acknowledged that the motive had not been established and said it was too early to determine whether Iran was involved.
The FlyDubai aircraft was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain.
Israeli media reported that the aircraft first transmitted the general emergency code "7700" while flying through Jordanian airspace and later sent "7500," the code indicating a hijacking.
Channel 12 television reported that the incident stemmed from a fight between the two pilots. It alleged that the co-pilot was an Omani national and attacked the other pilot with a knife in an attempt to bring down the aircraft.
The report also claimed that the co-pilot repeatedly stabbed the captain, while cabin crew and some passengers entered the cockpit and intervened.
Netanyahu said there were indications that one of the pilots had attempted to bring down the aircraft, while FlyDubai said the cause of the cockpit fight was unclear.
Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry said Thursday that an initial investigation, conducted with the participation of a UAE security team, found that the co-pilot had attacked the pilot and that both men were injured.
After receiving medical treatment, the pilot and co-pilot left Saudi Arabia for Abu Dhabi under the escort of UAE security personnel. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities examine the co-pilot’s motive and whether anyone else was involved.
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