Israel to seek extradition of flydubai co-pilot after cockpit attack — NDTV

Israel said it would seek the extradition of a flydubai co-pilot suspected of attacking the captain of a Dubai–Tel Aviv flight. After the incident, the aircraft diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar stated his intention to seek the suspect's extradition in an interview with NDTV. According to him, Israel preliminarily considers the incident to be an attempted terrorist attack with jihadist characteristics, though the investigation is still ongoing.

Incident on the flight

According to preliminary findings by Saudi authorities, the co-pilot is suspected of attacking the Indian captain, Smith Machchar. The Boeing 737 lost altitude sharply, but the situation was brought under control.

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Sa'ar said that the injured captain managed to open the cockpit door, and Israeli passengers helped restrain the suspect. Machchar later spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the hospital and said that he noticed the plane descending and opened the cockpit door despite his injuries.

Investigation and extradition of the suspect

According to Sa'ar, the suspect is an Omani citizen. Saudi Arabia handed him over to the UAE authorities, who are investigating the circumstances of the incident, including possible prior planning or actions directed by someone.

In the Israeli minister's view, the attacker may have been trying to harm Israeli passengers, Israel-UAE relations, and the Emirates themselves. At the same time, Sa'ar stressed that there is currently no evidence of Iran's involvement, or of a specific organization or person who may have directed the attack. He also said that Israel and the UAE would not allow the incident to affect bilateral relations.