Israel would have considered shooting down FlyDubai flight FZ1073 if the aircraft had become a hijacking threat and approached Israeli territory, according to a CBS News which cited sources familiar with the country's security protocols. The report detailed how Israel would have responded to a scenario similar to the September 11, 2001, attacks, in which hijacked passenger planes were used as weapons against high-value targets.
The revelations came after an incident aboard FlyDubai flight FZ1073 last week, in which the co-pilot of the plane allegedly attacked Indian Captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe, seriously injuring him. The flight, carrying 174 passengers, sent distress signals after plunging more than 17,000 feet from its cruising altitude of about 34,000 feet. The BBC reported that Machchhar was lying on the flight deck floor when he noticed the sudden loss of altitude and made "one last push" to open the cockpit door.
