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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Shweta Sharma,Alex Croft and James C. Reynolds

Netanyahu reveals co-pilot’s message to passengers after Israel flight hijacking attempt

  • United Arab Emirates authorities have launched an investigation to determine whether an attempted hijacking aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was linked to terrorism or prior planning.
  • The incident occurred when a co-pilot stabbed the captain, Captain Smit Machchhar, mid-air and attempted to crash the plane, causing the aircraft to dramatically plunge 13,000 feet in 30 seconds.
  • Passengers and crew members rushed to the cockpit to subdue the attacker, allowing the plane to make an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where the co-pilot was subsequently arrested.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker who tried to hijack the flight was “clearly suicidal” and shouted “kill me” after being subdued by passengers and crew.
  • Mr Netanyahu also said the co-pilot, who Israel says was Omani, had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination”.

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