The Omani co-pilot of flydubai attacked the captain with a weapon, attempting to seize control of the cockpit during a flight on the morning of 30/9. The flight was en route from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), to Tel Aviv, Israel.

Passengers subdued him as he tried to take control and crash the plane into a ground target, reminiscent of the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks in the US.

An anonymous flydubai pilot stated that the co-pilot had only been with the airline for 8 months and was a "fanatic".

"His behavior was very strange. He often performed unusual religious rituals at work. He prayed all day and refused to shake hands with women," the pilot told Israel's Channel 16.

Yaniv Hayoun (in white shirt), an Israeli passenger who helped subdue the flydubai co-pilot, is welcomed at the Ben Gurion Airport gate near Tel Aviv, Israel, on 30/9. Photo: AP

The pilot expressed regret that the airline permitted the Omani co-pilot to operate a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. "Usually, only UAE pilots are allowed to fly to Israel. It's unclear how he was assigned to this flight," he added.

Israel Katz, Israel's Defense Minister, stated that authorities consider this a "terrorist attack by an extremist Islamist".

"The serious incident on the flydubai plane was an attempted terrorist attack by an extremist Islamist, thwarted only by the courage of several Israeli passengers who stormed the cockpit and subdued the terrorist," he said.

After the co-pilot was subdued, two reserve pilots on board assisted in safely landing the aircraft at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.

Passengers disembark from the flydubai Boeing 737 MAX after an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia on 30/9. Photo: Times of Israel

Israel is investigating why the Omani co-pilot was permitted to fly to Tel Aviv, given that Oman lacks diplomatic relations with Israel and foreign flight crews entering Israeli airspace are subject to strict controls.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the co-pilot is being interrogated by Saudi authorities and may be extradited to the UAE for further investigation. His identity, motive, and religion have not been disclosed.

Captain Smit Machchhar was seriously injured after being attacked by the co-pilot on the flydubai flight on 30/9. Photo: Telegraph

Flydubai has suspended all flights to and from Israel pending the investigation.

Israeli media initially reported that the co-pilot used a folding knife. However, Prime Minister Netanyahu suggested that the suspect might have used an emergency axe from within the cockpit to attack the captain. Airlines typically equip commercial aircraft with such axes to help pilots handle emergencies, like breaking escape windows or partitions to extinguish fires.

By Hong Hanh (According to Daily Mail, News24)