Omani hijacker who stabbed fellow pilot 'was a religious extremist who refused to shake hands with women': Israel launches probe into how 'terrorist' was cleared to fly as Flydubai jets are grounded
Israel is probing how a religious extremist from Oman who stabbed his co-pilot in a suspected hijacking attempt was cleared to fly, it is understood.
Passengers and crew wrestled the alleged terrorist after he violently attacked his colleague and attempted to take control of the Flydubai jet cruising at altitude from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning.
The group then grappled to regain control of the plane, which had plummeted 14,000ft in just 29 seconds, while the severely wounded captain Smit Machchhar lay drenched in his blood on the floor. It is believed a British off-duty pilot was among the saviours.
A fellow pilot has also now claimed the assailant – who is believed to be an Omani national – was a religious extremist.
Speaking in Hebrew on Israel's Channel 16, foreign editor and news anchor Yosef Yisrael described how he spoke to a colleague of the attacker, who wishes to remain anonymous.
In a translated version, Mr Yisrael reads out how the violent pilot 'was someone characterised by very strange behaviour, especially around religious observances that were out of step with his surroundings [at Flydubai]. For instance, he used to pray a lot, and would not shake hands with women'.
Mr Yisrael said his source 'expressed contrition' and said Flydubai had 'betrayed Israel'.
'There is no other way to put it, we hired the services of a terrorist and nearly caused the deaths of 180 people,' Mr Yisrael said the man told him. 'Usually only Emiratis fly to Israel. It is not clear how he got on this flight.'
A pilot, believed to be a religious extremist from Oman, (pictured) stabbed his co-pilot in a suspected hijacking attempt
Graphic footage filmed by passengers on the flight shows the wounded pilot Smit Machchhar lying on the floor as others tend to him
Mr Machchhar was hailed for saving the lives of those 174 passengers on board. While cruising mid-air, the hero was able to fight off his co-pilot in the cockpit and his attempts to sabotage the plane's systems
Israel is now investigating how the alleged terrorist was cleared to fly the plane bound for Tel Aviv, given Oman has no diplomatic relations with Israel and foreign crew flying into its airspace are strictly controlled.
Flydubai flight FZ1073 was diverted over Jordanian airspace before landing at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia.
It transmitted a general emergency signal using a squawk code – four-digit numbers used for in-flight communication – of 7700 while making a U-turn over the border between the two countries.
While flying over Saudi Arabia, it briefly issued a code of 7500, signalling unlawful interference or a hijacking. Officials feared the incident could have become another 'September 11' attack, adding that passengers had prevented an 'Israeli 9/11' by tying up the assailant.
A person who heard the crew's mayday call with air traffic control described the plane being turned away by Saudi Arabia and Jordan before eventually landing in the major city located in northwest of the Kingdom.
The person, who wishes to remain anonymous, said the pilot's voice was trembling as he called 'mayday' and said a hijacking was taking place and ambulances would be needed.
But Saudi Arabia initially denied clearance to land and directed him to Jordan. The plane was told to wait for clearance from the Jordanian military and then turned away.
The pilot then returned to Saudi Arabia and said he had to land in Tabuk. The air traffic control operators gave no reason for the earlier refusals.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with passenger Yaniv Hayun - who helped prevent the hijacking on the Flydubai plane
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the assailant's arrest on Wednesday afternoon, adding he is 'currently being questioned by the Saudi authorities'. His identity, intention and motive have not yet been confirmed.
Passengers and crew, including the captain Mr Machchhar, have been hailed for their bravery in preventing what is believed to be an attempted suicide mission. One of whom is said to have been an off-duty British pilot.
Mr Machchhar was praised for saving the lives of those 174 passengers on board, which included four Americans. While cruising mid-air, the hero was able to fight off his co-pilot in the cockpit and his attempts to sabotage the plane's systems.
Distressing footage showed Mr Machchhar lying on the ground covered in blood as passengers tended to his injuries, while another pilot is seen seemingly lying nearby unconscious. Passengers can be heard telling one of the men: 'You saved the plane.'
Delhi's embassy in Saudi Arabia has since confirmed Mr Machchhar is being treated in a hospital in Tabuk.
The incident was described as 'an attempted jihadist terror attack' by Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz, which was 'thwarted only thanks to the heroism of several Israeli passengers'.
This includes one Israeli passenger, named by local media as Yaniv Hayun, who was called a 'hero' by Mr Netanyahu during a meeting as he arrived back in Tel Aviv.
Mr Hayun, who was wearing a blood-soaked T-shirt, embraced the Israeli PM before describing how he broke down the cockpit door and wrestled the alleged terrorist before taking over control of the plane – the skills of which he credits to his watching of TV show Air Disasters, which investigates notable aviation crises.
The jet dropped from 30,875 feet to 16,750 feet in just 29 seconds
Passengers file out of the rear of the plane, which appeared to show a section of the rudder missing, after it landed in Saudi Arabia
One passenger Almog Itali described how the plane became a 'rollercoaster' before it 'dropped down like a massive G-force' for around 30 seconds.
Mr Itali credits the passengers who intercepted the believed hijack with his life, telling BBC Newsnight: 'They are very brave, the literally saved our lives.'
Aviation experts have marvelled that the plane didn't crash, as the flight plummeted from 33,000ft to 17,000ft (around 10,000 meters to 5,100 meters) in about a minute, before making an erratic circle close to the Jordanian border and landing in Tabuk about an hour later, according to Flightradar24, which identified the aircraft as a Boeing 737 Max 8.
United Airlines pilot and aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said he was surprised that the plane was able to land safely after most of the rudder was ripped off the tail during the extreme descent.
'That was a serious descent and strong aerodynamic forces on that rudder for that to happen. I'm just amazed the aircraft didn't come apart,' Mr Arroyo said.
Another aviation safety expert, Jeff Guzzetti, said that given the rate of descent, it may not have been possible for the plane to level out if it had fallen below 10,000ft.
'It is remarkable they were able to pull out of that dive. What saved them is there was enough altitude left for them to recover,' said Mr Guzzetti, who used to investigate crashes for the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration in the US.
Flydubai said in a statement it was suspending flights to and from Israel as it investigated Wednesday's incident.
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