RIYADH: Saudi Arabia provided “logistical and necessary assistance” to all the passengers and crew on board the Israel-bound FlyDubai flight forced to land in Tabuk, the Kingdom’s interior ministry said on Thursday.
Flight FZ1073 was over the Jordanian border when it plunged thousands of meters before making an emergency landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport.
Israeli officials said the Omani copilot attacked his colleague in the cockpit as part of a plan to crash the aircraft, which had 166 Israelis among the passengers.
Preliminary investigations conducted by the Saudi authorities, in coordination with a security team from the UAE, “revealed that an altercation occurred in which the co-pilot assaulted the captain, resulting in injuries to both individuals,” a Saudi ministry official said.
The two pilots were transferred to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment.
Following medical clearance, both pilots left Saudi Arabia for Abu Dhabi on Thursday, accompanied by the UAE security team, the official said.
All of the 174 passengers and eight crew members were provided assistance after the aircraft landed safely at 9.45am.“At 5.40 pm, all passengers continued their journey on a replacement FlyDubai aircraft, and the flight crew returned to Dubai on a separate flight operated by the airline,” the official said.
The flight’s captain, Smit Machchhar, has been praised for his bravery in trying to stop the attacker and allowing passengers and crew into the cockpit to retake control.
Indian embassy officials in Any Dhabi said he is in good health and recovering well.
The identity of his attacker has not been revealed.
Videos of Saudi teams providing care to the traumatized Israeli passengers in Tabuk have been widely shared.