Investigators examine motive after co-pilot attacks captain on Israel-bound flight

Investigators are examining why an Omani co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and tried to seize control of a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, causing the aircraft to descend more than 17,000 feet before passengers and crew subdued him.

The flight, carrying more than 170 people, made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where the co-pilot was arrested and questioned. The United Arab Emirates said it had opened an investigation into whether the incident was connected to terrorism, noting that the aircraft was registered there. Saudi investigators were also cooperating with authorities from the UAE, Oman, Israel and the United States, according to the Associated Press.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News that preliminary information indicated the co-pilot had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination” and was suicidal. He said the man called on crew members to kill him after being restrained and appeared intent on crashing the plane, while stressing that investigators had not reached final conclusions.

Two Israeli security officials told Reuters that their initial assessment was that the co-pilot probably acted alone and that no Iranian involvement had been found. According to the Associated Press, investigators were considering possibilities including terrorism and mental illness.

The stabbed captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, was recovering in hospital and in good health, according to India’s diplomatic mission in the UAE. A reserve crew stabilized the aircraft and landed it safely.