UAE prosecutor says FlyDubai co-pilot planned to crash into Tel Aviv airport

An Israeli official said the FlyDubai co-pilot told interrogators in the United Arab Emirates last week that he had planned the alleged attack before joining the airline more than a year ago. The co-pilot is alleged to have attempted to hijack a flight to Israel.

The Sept. 30 flight was approaching Israel when the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with the aircraft's crash ax and attempted to crash the plane, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, passengers aboard and the captain.

Israeli passengers and FlyDubai staff overpowered the co-pilot. Two off-duty pilots who were aboard then gained control of the aircraft and made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Following the alleged attempted hijacking, Israel's transportation ministry and its domestic and foreign security agencies have each said they were not responsible for vetting foreign flight crews.

The captain of a flydubai flight has described trying to block axe blows to his head during an attack by a co-pilot. He said he screamed for help while reaching to open the cockpit door.

Speaking from a hospital bed in Abu Dhabi with his head and left arm bandaged, Machchhar said he initially thought the first blow meant something had gone wrong with the aircraft's structure. He then realised he was being attacked.

Machchhar said his arm was wounded as he defended himself against blows directed at his head. He recalled reaching for the knob that opens the cockpit door and screaming for his colleagues. He said he believed that was when he first lost consciousness.

The aircraft plunged 16,000 feet in 30 seconds before the attacker was overwhelmed. Two other pilots aboard landed it safely in Saudi Arabia. The suspect, an Omani national, was subsequently transferred to the UAE, where flydubai is based.