Israel is set to ramp up security checks on pilots flying into the country, a spokesperson for the prime minister's office said, after it said a co-pilot on aflydubai flight to Tel Aviv had stabbed the pilot and attempted to crash the plane.
The dramatic incident was only defused after passengers helped subdue the co-pilot before other on-duty pilots employed by the airline on the plane landed the aircraft safely in Saudi Arabia. The Dubai state-owned airline warned against "premature speculation" and said much remained unclear.
Saudi authorities have arrested and interrogated the co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 from the United Arab Emirates to Israel, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said. Some 169 of the total 172 passengers on board were Israeli nationals, Ambassador Daniel Meron at the Israeli permanent mission in Geneva told Reuters.
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The incident has sharpened questions about how pilots flying in and out of Israel and around the conflict-hit Middle East are vetted and what sorts of security protocols they face, according to government officials and aviation analysts.
Israeli officials frequently warn of potential threats targeting Jews and Israelis around the world. Antisemitism has increased globally in recent years, including violent and sometimes deadly attacks targeting Jews. So far, no motive has been given for the co-pilot's attack.
Also Read: Flydubai pilot called ‘terrorist’ after attempting to crash Israel-bound plane
"Every pilot that is going to be flying into Israel, we are going to know the pilots' identities, know who they are, and do some type of security check," Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister's office, told Reuters.
He saidNetanyahu had instructed authorities to "ramp up security" on flights to Israel operated by Israeli and on non-Israeli carriers.
