Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 05:12pm on 01 Oct 2026,Thursday International
A Flydubai pilot described the co-pilot accused of attacking Captain Smit Machchhar as a “religious extremist,” alleging that he displayed extreme religious behaviour, prayed excessively and refused to shake hands with women. The co-pilot reportedly joined Flydubai eight months ago and was an Omani national. Israel has called the incident a terror attack, while the UAE and Flydubai have so far avoided that characterization. The UAE said it would investigate whether terrorism motivated the attack, while Flydubai cancelled flights to Israel pending its investigation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot underwent “Islamist radical indoctrination” and that possible links to Iran could be determined within days. The co-pilot remains under arrest, with his motive unknown. (PC: X)
