Israeli PM spokesperson David Mencer says the incident warrants comparison with 9/11, while stressing that the motive and possible links remain under investigation
New Delhi, Oct 2026 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesperson David Mencer has said the incident involving Flydubai flight FZ1073 raises questions over whether there was an attempt to bring down the aircraft, while drawing a comparison with the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.
Speaking to IANS in an exclusive interview on Thursday, Mencer said an Israeli passenger and a crew member who entered the cockpit during the incident allegedly found the Omani co-pilot standing over the aircraft’s controls while Captain Smit Machchhar was being attacked.
“That’s what it certainly looks like. This could have been very similar to 9/11,” Mencer said, while acknowledging that investigations into the incident were still underway.
According to the Israeli official, the passenger and crew member found the co-pilot allegedly attempting to interfere with the aircraft’s controls and systems while attacking Machchhar. Mencer said this raised concerns that the aircraft itself may have been targeted.
He said the co-pilot was reportedly armed with an object described as a knife or axe and that passengers and crew members, together with the injured Indian pilot, managed to regain control of the cockpit.
Mencer, however, did not rule out or confirm any specific organisational connection behind the incident. He said investigators would need to establish whether there were any links to Hamas, Hezbollah or Iran, stressing that it was too early to reach conclusions while authorities continued their probe.
“We understand that the Omani pilot is being questioned by the Saudi authorities and that he will be transferred to the UAE,” Mencer said, adding that a detailed investigation would examine his background and possible associations.
He also said the incident should prompt authorities to examine aviation security procedures and determine whether any gaps contributed to the situation.
“Perhaps because he was a pilot, he was not subject to certain checks,” Mencer said, referring to the possibility of a security lapse. He said the circumstances in which the co-pilot allegedly gained access to the cockpit and attacked Machchhar would need to be examined.
Mencer linked the incident to the wider security environment in Israel, noting that Netanyahu had warned two days earlier about what he described as threats from Iran and terrorist organisations it supports to disrupt Israel’s election process.
He said Israel remained on heightened alert with its elections 27 days away.
The Flydubai aircraft was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the cockpit incident occurred. The aircraft subsequently made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Mencer said Israel and the UAE had instituted a six-day freeze on flights between the two countries as authorities investigated the incident and assessed the possibility of further security threats.
He also praised the actions of Machchhar, passengers and crew members who intervened during the emergency.
“What the Israeli passengers and crew, together with the Indian pilot, did was to wrestle control of the plane back from the Omani pilot and bring the incident to a safe conclusion,” he said.
The circumstances of the cockpit altercation, the motive of the co-pilot and any possible external connections remain matters for the ongoing investigation. Authorities have urged reliance on verified information until the probe establishes the full sequence of events.
