A senior United Arab Emirates official on Friday publicly described the attempted crashing of a Flydubai passenger jet as a “terrorist act” for the first time, as Israel investigates if the Omani co-pilot accused of trying to bring down the aircraft was acting on behalf of another party.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the co-pilot had previously been banned by Oman from flying, over concerns that he had adopted radical ideological views, citing people familiar with the matter. Despite the ban, the Omani national was later hired by Flydubai and allowed to fly the sensitive route connecting the United Arab Emirates and Israel.
It remains unclear if Oman shared its concerns about the co-pilot with other countries or airlines, and the nature of his reported radicalization could not be determined, according to the report. Flydubai and the Omani government did not respond to requests for comment.
A UAE spokesperson declined to address the co-pilot’s reported history in Oman, saying that doing so could “prejudge the outcome of the investigation or interfere with its course.”
The report emerged as Anwar Gargash, a senior diplomatic adviser to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, publicly characterized Wednesday’s attack as terrorism while praising Capt. Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who was repeatedly stabbed aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
“The Flydubai pilot deserves full appreciation,” Gargash wrote on X. “Faced with a dangerous terrorist act and a possible disaster, he embodied the true meaning of courage and responsibility.”
“The professionalism and moral integrity he demonstrated under the most challenging circumstances make him a true hero,” he added.
Gargash’s remarks marked the first time a senior Emirati official publicly characterized the incident as terrorism, sharpening the UAE’s public position a day after authorities opened an investigation into whether the attack was linked to terrorist activity or purpose, or involved prior planning or direction.
Gargash nevertheless cautioned against drawing conclusions beyond what investigators have established.
“While avoiding interpretations or promoting conspiracy theories, vigilance and caution remain essential in confronting the dangers of extremism and terrorism,” he wrote.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, said Friday that Israel is investigating whether the Omani co-pilot “was sent,” while stopping short of identifying who, if anyone, may have directed him.
“As time passes, the picture becomes clearer,” Netanyahu said in a video statement, referring to Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayun and others who helped overpower the co-pilot. “Yaniv and his brave friends averted another 9/11.”
Netanyahu said the co-pilot had undergone “Islamist radicalization” and “came to crash the plane along with its passengers,” while emphasizing that investigators had not yet determined whether he acted at someone else’s direction.
“We are clarifying right now if he was sent,” Netanyahu said. “And whoever sent him will pay a heavy price.”
Netanyahu did not identify Iran or any other potential sponsor Friday. Asked a day earlier whether Tehran could have been involved, he said investigators had no specific information establishing such a connection and cautioned that it remained “too early to say.”
“We will get to the bottom of this attacker, whether he had accomplices and whether Iran was behind him,” Netanyahu said Thursday. “I think we will find out very soon.”
The investigation shifted to the UAE on Thursday after Saudi Arabia transferred the Omani co-pilot there following his detention in Tabuk. A source briefed on the probe told Reuters that Israeli officials are expected to question him.
An Israeli government official separately confirmed that Israeli investigators would participate alongside Emirati authorities in the UAE-led investigation, examining what happened as well as the co-pilot’s motives and background.
Emirati authorities have said the investigation will seek to establish the circumstances and motives behind the attack, including “whether the incident was linked to any terrorist activity or purpose, or involved prior planning or direction.”
Flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith also addressed the attack publicly Friday for the first time, referring to what occurred as a “safety incident” in the cockpit and saying the airline was cooperating with the official investigation.
“It is important that we allow this process to establish the facts,” Al Ghaith said, acknowledging that there remained “many questions” about what happened aboard FZ1073.
The investigation follows Wednesday’s dramatic struggle aboard FZ1073 after the Omani co-pilot repeatedly stabbed Machchhar in the cockpit and seized control of the Boeing 737 as it flew over Saudi Arabia with roughly 174 passengers and crew aboard.
The aircraft plunged more than 16,000 feet in just over 30 seconds, according to Flightradar24 data, before the badly wounded Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door. Passengers rushed inside and overpowered the co-pilot, while a reserve Flydubai pilot crew traveling aboard the flight subsequently took control and landed safely in Tabuk.
Machchhar, speaking publicly from his UAE hospital room Friday for the first time, told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he could feel the aircraft diving as he lay wounded on the cockpit floor.
“When I fell, I felt the plane descending, the nose going down, and I knew these were the final seconds,” Machchhar said. “I tried to crawl. I opened the door, and everything else happened immediately after that.”
Modi praised Machchhar’s “courage, composure and calm,” telling him that his actions had saved lives and that India was waiting to welcome him home. A visibly emotional Machchhar called Modi his “idol” and said he never imagined he would have an opportunity to speak with him.
The co-pilot has not been publicly identified beyond his Omani nationality, and neither Emirati nor Israeli authorities have said they have established that he acted at anyone else’s direction. The UAE-led investigation into whether the attack involved prior planning or direction remains ongoing.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.