What happened on the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight?

Allegations against the co-pilot on Flydubai's FZ1073 service last Wednesday have become the focus of investigations in the UAE and Israel. The UAE Attorney General said there had been an attempt to carry out a "terror act" on the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

According to investigators, the co-pilot attacked and injured the captain with the emergency axe kept in the cockpit. After the suspect was restrained by passengers, another crew member traveling as a passenger landed the aircraft in Saudi Arabia.

What are the key claims in the investigation?

According to reports in the U.S. and Israeli media, the suspect said in questioning that he planned to fly the plane into Israeli airspace as if it were a routine flight, obtain landing clearance, and then crash into Ben Gurion Airport or a high-rise building in central Tel Aviv. Reports said there were more than 180 passengers on board the Boeing 737 MAX at the time.

The same sources suggested the suspect may have acted alone rather than as part of an organized group. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also said the captain, passengers and a second crew member prevented a major disaster.

Another allegation reported in the press said the co-pilot had considered a similar attempt on an earlier Tel Aviv flight, but backed off because someone he knew was on board. Emirati and Israeli authorities did not immediately comment on those specific claims.

Security screening and institutional scrutiny

Why is the hiring process under question?

UAE Attorney General Hamad Al Shamsi said the investigation would establish all the circumstances of the case, the motive and any possible links, and that the findings would be announced when complete. In the aftermath, questions were raised over how the suspect was hired by Flydubai and how he was allowed to work on Tel Aviv flights.

  • Regional officials said the suspect had previously been removed from flight duties at Oman Air and reassigned to an administrative post because of extremist views.
  • The same officials argued that Flydubai's standard security checks did not include a detailed review for signs of radicalization.

Which Israeli institutions are at the center of the debate?

Regional officials speaking to the Associated Press said UAE authorities shared the passenger and crew list with Israel before FZ1073 took off. However, Shin Bet, Israel's domestic security agency, said responsibility for reviewing those lists lay with the Transport Ministry; Transport Minister Miri Regev said security checks on foreign airlines fall under the authority of Shin Bet and Mossad, Israel's intelligence service.

Netanyahu instructed the head of the National Security Council to review all security aspects of foreign civilian flights to Israel. Australian authorities are also examining the suspect's links to the country; according to local media, the co-pilot studied there between 2015 and 2017.