Investigators probe terror link in alleged flydubai hijacking
Former Israeli National Security Council chief Eyal Hulata examined the alleged attack aboard a FlyDubai flight traveling from Dubai to Israel, in which an Omani co-pilot reportedly stabbed the captain. Hulata explained that the captain unlocked the cockpit door, allowing passengers to restrain the suspect before the plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
The FlyDubai co-pilot accused of stabbing the captain during the flight and nearly triggering a catastrophic crash had been grounded by Oman Air in 2024 after the airline discovered he had visited radical Islamic websites, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The source said the co-pilot moved to Dubai later in 2024. The source also told Fox News that he had spent a significant portion of his life outside Oman, including time with his mother, who is from Syria.
According to the source, FlyDubai did not contact Oman Air to inquire about the co-pilot before hiring him.
A FlyDubai aircraft carrying Israelis who experienced an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia is seen parked at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (Ariel Schalit/AP)
The latest information emerged after The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing people familiar with the case, that the Omani national had previously been barred from flying because of concerns that he had adopted radical ideological views. He was later hired by FlyDubai. The newspaper said it was not clear whether Omani authorities had alerted other countries or airlines to those concerns.
Fox News has not independently confirmed why Oman Air grounded the co-pilot.
The alleged assault took place Wednesday aboard FlyDubai Flight 1073 while the aircraft was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
A plane takes off as a flydubai aircraft sits on the tarmac at Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026.
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Passengers and officials said the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain in the cockpit, sending the aircraft into a steep dive and placing the plane at risk of breaking apart. Two reserve pilots who were aboard the flight regained control and diverted it safely to Saudi Arabia. Passengers and crew members then helped subdue the suspect, according to accounts of the emergency.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident an act of terrorism on Friday and said the attacker had undergone “Islamic radicalization.”
“He came to crash the passengers on board,” Netanyahu said, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who allegedly was attacked on a FlyDubai plane heading to Israel on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (Israel Foreign Ministry)
Netanyahu said Israeli authorities are also examining whether the suspect acted alone or received help from others.
The United Arab Emirates is overseeing the investigation. A UAE spokesperson declined to discuss the suspect’s background with the Journal, saying officials did not want to prejudice the findings or disrupt the inquiry.
The attack has renewed scrutiny of airline pilot screening and aviation security on flights serving Israel. Aviation security analysts told the Journal that the episode appeared to represent a serious security breakdown and raised questions about how potential warning signs were missed before the co-pilot gained access to the cockpit.
FlyDubai has suspended service between Dubai and Tel Aviv in the wake of the incident.
FlyDubai did not immediately respond to News Outlet’s request for comment.
