Investigators on Thursday were trying to determine what motivated the co-pilot on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv to stab the pilot, a midair cockpit attack that nearly resulted in catastrophe. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel suggested in a television interview on Thursday that the co-pilot, who Israeli officials have identified as an Omani citizen, was ideologically motivated.
“We know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination,” Mr. Netanyahu told Fox News, saying that investigators had learned this from the man’s “personal information.” He did not provide further details, and the man’s identity has not been made public. In a video released by Mr. Netanyahu’s office on Thursday, Yaniv Hayoun, an Israeli passenger said to be the first to grab the co-pilot, recounted him saying “Kill me! Kill me!” in English.
The United Arab Emirates said on Thursday that it would take the lead in investigating whether the attack was linked to terrorism. Both the wounded pilot and co-pilot have been transferred from Saudi Arabia, where the plane made an emergency landing, to the Emirates. Flight 1073 left Dubai early on Wednesday with 174 passengers and 8 crew members, according to the authorities in Saudi Arabia.
The aircraft lurched and descended so violently during the tumult in the cockpit that its rudder was damaged. As the Boeing 737 Max 8 plummeted more than 16,000 feet in 30 seconds, the overhead bins burst open, and panicked passengers clutched onto family members, expecting the plane to crash. A group of passengers is credited with saving the aircraft by rushing into the cockpit and subduing the co-pilot.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing