Israel's prime minister is pointing to radicalization in the cockpit attack that nearly brought down a passenger jet. Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News on Thursday that the co-pilot who stabbed Capt. Smit Machchhar aboard FlyDubai flight FZ1073 "underwent Islamist radical indoctrination."
The co-pilot, identified by Israeli officials as an Omani national, allegedly tried to crash the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight on Wednesday. Disaster was averted when the wounded captain managed to unlock the cockpit door, letting passengers subdue the attacker. A reserve crew landed the plane — carrying more than 170 people, most of them Israelis — at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia. The jet plunged more than 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds, according to flight trackers.
Netanyahu said the attacker shouted "kill me, kill me" after being restrained: "It is clear that he was suicidal." He added it looked "very likely that he was going to down the plane." Two Israeli security officials said the initial assessment is that the co-pilot likely acted alone. The UAE has launched an investigation, including possible terrorist intent.
What to watch next: the interrogation results and the UAE's formal findings.