Dubai (AFP) - A prominent Emirati official considered on Friday that what happened on the Flydubai flight on Wednesday was a "dangerous act of terrorism," while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that any party proven to be involved in the attack that took place on board the plane and nearly caused a disaster would pay a "heavy price."

Published on: 02/10/2026 - 08:52 Last updated: 02/10/2026 - 21:36

There were 172 passengers on board flight FZ1073 between Dubai and Tel Aviv, including 166 Israelis, in addition to crew members. Israeli officials and passengers narrated that after the plane made an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, the co-pilot stabbed the pilot of the plane, causing him to lose control for some time.

The assistant's motives for the attack have not yet been officially determined.

The pilot of the plane, Smit Machar, who was transferred from Saudi Arabia to the Emirates, where he is completing his treatment, confirmed that he resisted his attacker and did his utmost to save the passengers.

According to the passengers' account, the co-pilot stabbed the captain with the aim of shooting down the plane, which descended about 17,000 feet (five thousand meters) in one minute. However, despite his injury, the captain was able to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter the cockpit and control the attacker.

The Indian flight commander received wide praise, most recently on Friday from Anwar Gargash, advisor to UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Gargash wrote on the

This is the first time that an Emirati official speaks of a "terrorist act."

The General Civil Aviation Authority praised the flight commander and the cabin crew, and said in a statement carried by the Emirates News Agency, “Their prompt and decisive intervention and their assumption of responsibility contributed to containing the situation and preventing more serious repercussions.”

The authority also praised the role of travelers “who contributed to controlling the situation.”

The judiciary in the Emirates confirmed on Thursday that it had begun an investigation into the incident, and that the Public Prosecutor had directed to “verify the extent of its connection to any terrorist activity or purpose or the existence of prior planning or direction for it.”

The Hebrew state denounced an "attempted jihadist terrorist attack" aimed at undermining relations between Israel and the UAE, which signed a normalization agreement in 2020.

On Friday, Netanyahu warned that any party proven to be involved in the incident would pay a “very heavy price,” without providing evidence indicating any country’s responsibility. He said in a video message, speaking about the co-pilot, “We are investigating whether it was sent by anyone, and whoever sent it will pay a very heavy price.”

Netanyahu previously said Thursday that the co-pilot "underwent a process of extremist Islamic ideological indoctrination."

He added to the American "Fox News" network, "The attacker shouted to the crew members, 'Kill me, kill me,' so it is clear that he was a suicide bomber... that he intended to shoot down the plane," pointing out that he was from the Sultanate of Oman, which has not been confirmed by any party yet.

US President Donald Trump, for his part, hinted on Thursday that Iran was responsible for the incident, which comes in the midst of a conflict in the Middle East that began with a US-Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic in late February.

He said that the Iranians "will receive a very strong blow," in response to a journalist's question about whether Washington would respond if Tehran's responsibility was proven.

He continued, "I say the answer is yes, based on what I hear."

Passenger rescue

The Saudi authorities announced on Thursday that preliminary investigations with the participation of an Emirati security team “indicated that there was an assault on the plane’s pilot by his assistant, which resulted in both of them sustaining separate injuries.”

It confirmed that the pilot of the plane and his co-pilot left Saudi Arabia for the Emirates.

In his first statements since the incident, the plane's pilot told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that his concern was to protect the plane's passengers.

Modi posted a video clip on social media platforms of a call he had with Machar, who appeared to be lying in a hospital bed, his head wrapped in a bandage and his nose connected to an oxygen tube.

"I was trying to save my life, but I knew I couldn't let all these (passengers) die," Machar said.

He added, "I suffered a number of injuries, which made me collapse. Then, I felt the plane falling. I knew that this was the last attempt, and that the (cockpit) door was close to me."

On Friday, Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of Flydubai, thanked Machar “and our pilots on duty who secured the plane and landed it safely, in addition to the flight crew.”

He indicated in a statement that the company's suspension of its flights to Tel Aviv came "at the request of the competent authorities," calling for the matter to be left to investigation to determine "the facts."

In light of the suspension of Flydubai flights, the Israeli company El Al intended to operate flights to transport Israelis from the Emirates. But it announced the cancellation of those scheduled on Friday. The Israeli Ministry of Transport explained that it has not yet obtained the required approval from the UAE for this.

On Friday evening, an Israeli plane took off from Dubai International Airport towards Tel Aviv, according to what the Dubai Airports website showed, while Hebrew media spoke about the first flight to return Israelis from Dubai after the “Fly Dubai” incident.

The Times of Israel newspaper said, "This flight is operated by the Israeli low-cost airline Arkia."

El Al suspended its flights to the UAE during the war in the Middle East that broke out on February 28 after Israeli-American strikes on Iran.

© 2026 AFP

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