A senior United Arab Emirates official has publicly described the attempted crashing of a Flydubai passenger jet as a "terrorist act" — the first time a top Emirati figure has formally applied that label to Wednesday's mid-air attack.
Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, issued the characterization in a post on X on Friday, praising the Indian captain who was repeatedly stabbed aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv and still helped land the aircraft safely.
"The Indian pilot at Flydubai, Smit Machchhar, deserves all the appreciation, as he embodied the true meaning of courage and responsibility when confronting a dangerous terrorist act and a potential disaster," Gargash wrote. "His professionalism and moral sense in the darkest circumstances make him a true hero."
It was the first time a senior Emirati official has publicly characterized the incident as terrorism, according to The Times of Israel. Gargash also cautioned against speculation, writing that "far from oversimplifying what happened or adopting and promoting conspiracy theories, vigilance and caution remain necessary to face the risks of extremism and terrorism."
The attack unfolded Wednesday when the Omani co-pilot allegedly attempted to bring down the aircraft, according to the Wall Street Journal. The report said the co-pilot had previously been banned by Oman from flying over concerns he had adopted radical ideological views, yet was later hired by Flydubai and allowed to fly the sensitive route connecting the UAE and Israel. It remains unclear whether Oman shared its concerns about the co-pilot with other countries or airlines, according to the Journal.
Flydubai and the Omani government did not respond to requests for comment, the Journal reported.
Netanyahu: Israel Investigating Whether He 'Was Sent'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that Israel is investigating whether the co-pilot "was sent" to carry out the attack. He said the co-pilot had undergone "Islamist radicalization" and "came to crash the plane along with its passengers," while noting investigators had not yet determined who, if anyone, may have directed him — a point first reported by The Times of Israel.
Israeli outlet i24 News reported that an Emirati source said leaflets and publications from "Free Palestine" groups, alongside pro-Palestinian material, were found among the co-pilot's belongings. The outlet also reported that the co-pilot had repeatedly expressed support for the Palestinians and hostility toward Israel. Those details have not been independently confirmed by Next News Network.
The UAE's public shift came one day after Emirati authorities opened an investigation into whether the attack was linked to terrorist activity or purpose, or involved prior planning or direction, The Times of Israel reported.
Jewish Communities on Alert as Flights Suspended
The Jerusalem Post reported that Jewish communities are on high alert following the apparent attempt to crash the Tel Aviv-bound flight. Flydubai suspended its flights to and from Israel while the investigation continues, stranding Israelis in the UAE, according to the outlet.
The incident places fresh scrutiny on aviation security screening across the Gulf, particularly on routes serving Israel, and on how a pilot flagged by his own country's authorities was able to end up in a cockpit bound for Tel Aviv.
Our Take
Read that Wall Street Journal detail again: Oman's own government reportedly banned this man from flying over concerns he had embraced radical ideology. And yet he still ended up in the cockpit of a commercial jet bound for Tel Aviv, a route that exists because the Abraham Accords normalized Arab-Israeli ties.
That is not a screening failure. That is a pipeline failure — and someone along that pipeline decided to ignore a red flag from a sovereign government. Flydubai has not answered for it. The Omani government has not answered for it. And the foreign press covering this story from Dubai and Doha has been slower to call it what the UAE now calls it: a terrorist act.
Give the Emiratis credit where it is due. Gargash did not hide behind "the incident" or "the event." He said the words. He named the pilot a hero. That is more than most Western officials have managed when Islamic terror touches their own aviation systems.
Watch what happens next. Netanyahu says whoever sent this man will pay. The question America should be asking is simpler: was this a lone radical who slipped through the cracks — or was he placed in that cockpit by someone? Until we know the answer, every American who boards a plane should ask why a flagrant security warning was allowed to vanish between Muscat and Dubai.
