The co-pilot on the flydubai flight forced to divert to Saudi Arabia "attempted to carry out a terrorist act", the UAE's attorney general said on Saturday.
Hamad Al Shamsi said investigations revealed that the co-pilot on flight FZ1073 attacked the captain on the flight deck using a crash axe and attempted to take control of the aircraft. A crash axe is typically kept in a plane cockpit for use during emergencies.
The attorney general said investigations were continuing to establish the full circumstances, motives and any links related to the incident, as well as to complete technical examinations and analysis of physical and digital evidence.
Dr Al Shamsi had directed a specialist team to examine the security incident aboard the plane, which was travelling from Dubai airport to Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
Disaster averted
Capt Smit Machchhar, the pilot on the flight, has been hailed a hero for actions which helped to save the lives of 172 passengers and crew members.
He managed to open the cockpit door, allowing in help, after being attacked by the co-pilot, with the plane plunging 14,000ft during the altercation.
A small group of passengers and a reserve pilot overpowered the co-pilot, steadied the plane and managed to land the Boeing 737 in Tabuk, north-western Saudi Arabia.
In his first public conversation since the incident, Capt Machchhar on Friday spoke to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a 10-minute phone call from an Abu Dhabi hospital bed.
“In that moment I was fighting for my life,” said Capt Machchhar, with bandages covering his head and hands.
“But there was a moment then when I realised that if I didn’t do something … I had fallen down, I had so many injuries but I thought then if I don’t get up … I had been flying for 17 years, I have been captain for the last 11 years. With my eyes closed, I know what is happening in the plane."
Also on Friday, flydubai chief executive Ghaith Al Ghaith praised the crew for securing and landing the aircraft safely, and thanked passengers who helped them.
After leaving Dubai International Airport, flight FZ1073 was diverted over Jordanian airspace towards Saudi Arabia and transmitted two emergency signals. According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, the aircraft descended rapidly, before landing at Tabuk.
Mr Al Ghaith thanked Saudi Arabia for its “swift and professional response” following the diversion. “I also thank the UAE authorities and relevant stakeholders for their support in helping our customers and crew return home,” he added.
“I know there are many questions about what happened on board FZ1073. A full official investigation, led by the relevant authorities and fully supported by flydubai, is under way. It is important that we allow this process to establish the facts.”
