Attacker's identity and motive unknown after flydubai flight to Israel escapes disaster after pilot stabbed

Saudi and UAE authorities have said little publicly beyond confirming that investigations were underway. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the copilot was arrested.

The identity and motive of the Omani copilot who stabbed his captain on a flight to Israel, causing the plane to plummet dangerously and forcing it to land in Saudi Arabia, remained unknown on Thursday as investigators raced to learn more.

Israeli passengers on the flydubai flight carrying 174 people from the United Arab Emirates to the Israeli city of Tel Aviv have described how the bloodied Indian captain managed to open the cockpit door to let them in before they grappled with the copilot and stabilised a descent so sharp that the plane’s rudder was torn away.

“We felt helpless, suspended in midair and I didn’t know who to turn to. But it was all instinct to survive,” one of the responders, Asaf Rajuan, said in a new statement shared by Israel’s presidency.

Saudi and UAE authorities have said little publicly beyond confirming that investigations were underway.

The UAE chief prosecutor said on Thursday a probe had been launched into the incident, state media reported.

The official news agency WAM said the attorney general had ordered the investigation, adding that the "team has launched its work into the incident."

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