UAE prosecutor general orders investigation into diverted flydubai flight FZ1073
The UAE's top prosecutor has ordered a formal investigation into the cockpit altercation aboard flydubai flight FZ1073, diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
The UAE prosecutor general has ordered an investigation into the incident aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, which was diverted and landed in Saudi Arabia after an altercation in the cockpit, the state news agency reported on Thursday.
The investigation will examine the circumstances and motives behind the incident, including whether it was linked to any militant activity or involved prior planning or direction.
UAE judicial authorities have jurisdiction over the incident because the aircraft is registered in the UAE and flies under its flag, the statement said, adding that UAE law applies to crimes committed on board “even if they occur outside the country’s territory”.
The order is the first formal UAE judicial step in a case that has escalated rapidly. Flight FZ1073 was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a co-pilot allegedly stabbed the pilot and tried to crash the aircraft, losing around 17,000 feet of altitude in a minute, according to Flightradar24. Israeli officials called the incident “an attempted terrorist attack”, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the wounded pilot — identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar — and passengers for preventing a catastrophe. India’s Narendra Modi called the pilot a “HERO” in a social media post on Thursday. Flydubai has suspended its flights to Israel while an investigation takes place.
Sources
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