U.A.E. Adviser and Netanyahu Call FlyDubai Cockpit Attack Terrorism

The latest:

The near-downing of FlyDubai Flight 1073 was terrorism, a senior Emirati political figure and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday, an indication investigators view it as a political act. Netanyahu called the co-pilot a radicalized terrorist and said Israel had opened an investigation into who was behind the attack, promising retribution.

Details:

• The Emirati position: Anwar Gargash, senior foreign-policy adviser to the U.A.E. president, used the terrorism label on social media, praising captain Smit Machchhar as a hero for fighting to prevent a disaster while under attack. His comments came a day after an Emirati security team moved the wounded captain and the co-pilot back from Saudi Arabia.
• The one quote: Gargash said the captain “embodied the meaning of courage and responsibility in the face of a dangerous terrorist act,” adding that vigilance remains essential against the risks of extremism and terrorism.
• The Israeli line: Netanyahu said the picture of Wednesday’s flight is becoming clearer and described the co-pilot as a terrorist who had been radicalized. He said Israel launched its own investigation into who was behind the attack and promised retribution, without naming any party.
• The attacker: Netanyahu and people familiar with the matter said the co-pilot was Omani. Other details of his identity remained unclear, and no authority has publicly named him.
• The Saudi account: Saudi Arabia, where the jet made its emergency landing after passengers intervened, said the co-pilot assaulted the captain but did not suggest a motive. Other officials have not gone as far as Gargash and Netanyahu in defining the attack.
• The Iran question: President Trump told reporters Thursday that Iran may have had a role in the incident. Earlier that day, U.S. officials said there was still no concrete evidence about who, if anyone, was behind it. No other country involved has formally blamed Iran.
• Inside the cockpit: Machchhar described the fight in a call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. He said he collapsed on the cockpit floor after being repeatedly wounded, then felt the plane pitch into a dangerous dive as the struggle continued.
• The turning point: Fearing for his passengers, the captain said he made a desperate lunge and opened the cockpit door, allowing rescuers to burst in. Passengers’ intervention preceded the emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
• The flight: Flight 1073 was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when the cockpit fight sent the jet into a steep dive. A replacement FlyDubai aircraft has since landed at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport.

Between the lines:

The gap between the statements is the story. Gargash and Netanyahu have applied a terrorism label, while Riyadh describes an assault without a motive and U.S. officials say no concrete evidence points to a sponsor. Trump’s remark about a possible Iranian role sits ahead of that evidence, and Netanyahu’s promise of retribution assumes a conclusion his own investigation has not yet reached.

What’s next

Watch for the Israeli and Emirati investigations to identify the co-pilot and any sponsor, Oman’s response to his reported nationality, and whether U.S. officials move from no concrete evidence to a formal attribution.