Saudi Arabia : The initial investigation into the Omani pilot accused of attempting to crash flydubai Flight 1073 yesterday will be conducted by Saudi Arabia, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
Once the Saudi investigation is complete, the pilot will be handed over to the UAE, which will conduct its own investigation.
According to the official, Israel expects the Emirati probe to yield more significant findings.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed the "tremendous act of heroism" by Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar during a mid-air cockpit attack aboard an Israel-bound Flydubai flight, saying the seriously injured pilot managed to unlock the cockpit door while "fighting for his life", helping prevent what could have been another 9/11-style crash.
"I think what happened is a tremendous act of heroism that prevented another 9/11 style crash of an entire airplane," Netanyahu said in an interview with CBS News, recalling the incident.
Netanyahu said the flight was heading from Dubai to Israel when one of the co-pilots attacked Machchhar.
"What we know is that this plane that was heading from Dubai to Israel, as they approached Israel, one of the co-pilots stabbed or hit with an axe the other pilot, an Indian pilot. The pilot who was hit, bleeding profusely and fighting for his life, managed to unlock the cockpit door, but the plane was going into a nosedive," he said.
