Washington, DC: Saudi Arabian authorities have handed over the flydubai co-pilot accused of stabbing the flight's captain during a midair attack to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as investigators work to determine the motive behind the incident, Fox News reported on Thursday.
All 174 people on board survived the incident. Captain Smit Machchhar, who was injured in the attack, is recovering in Abu Dhabi and is out of danger, the Indian government said.
A regional official briefed on the investigation said the suspect, an Omani citizen, was under arrest and that Saudi authorities were working with Israel, the UAE, the United States and Oman to determine a motive.
The UAE government said its investigation team was looking into the attack, including whether it was linked to any terrorist purpose.
Israeli intelligence and security officials were in Saudi Arabia to help investigate the co-pilot, according to a regional official. Israel has requested that the suspect be sent to Israel for the investigation, though it was unclear whether that request would be granted.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier said the co-pilot underwent Islamist radical indoctrination, but later said it was too early to say whether he was linked to Iran.
Trump says Iran may be linked to co-pilot
US President Donald Trump said the co-pilot may be linked to Iran as investigators continued to probe the attack.
Asked whether he had been briefed about any links between the co-pilot and Tehran, Trump said, "I would say the answer, based on what I'm hearing, is yes, but we're working on it right now."
Asked whether Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had placed the co-pilot there or whether he had been radicalised through another route, Trump said, "It could have been."
Trump did not elaborate on why he believed Iran might be involved. Asked whether the US would retaliate against Tehran if it was behind the attack, he said, "Oh they'll be hit, very hard, don't worry."
How the attack unfolded
The flydubai FZ1073 flight was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the co-pilot stabbed Machchhar and attempted to take control of the aircraft.
Despite his injuries, Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to intervene. Passengers grappled with the co-pilot and helped stabilise the aircraft after its sharp descent.
Other pilots onboard subsequently managed to regain control of the aircraft, which diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and landed safely.
One passenger, Asaf Rajuan, said those who intervened acted on instinct to survive.
The aircraft descended from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet in about a minute before making an erratic circle near the Jordanian border and eventually landing in Tabuk, according to Flightradar24.
Someone in the cockpit also sent two four-digit distress codes: '7700', the universal emergency signal, followed by '7500', which indicates unlawful interference, including a possible hijacking.
(With agency inputs from AP via PTI & ANI)
