Aviation experts are sceptical that ending his own life was the only motivation for a flydubai co-pilot involved in an incident on flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, and are questioning how he may have been radicalised, according to the Guardian.
Key facts
- The incident took place on a regular flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
- A passenger, Israeli bank executive Tali Manes, reported hearing heavy blows against the cockpit door at around 9.30am local time on Wednesday.
- Manes described alerting a flight attendant before the cockpit door was opened.
- Experts cited by the Guardian are sceptical the co-pilot's only motive was to end his own life.
- A key question for investigators, according to the Guardian, is the means of the co-pilot's possible radicalisation.
Questions are mounting over the motive behind an incident on flydubai flight 1073, a regular service from Dubai to Tel Aviv, with aviation experts divided over whether it amounts to a suicide by plane or an act of terrorism, according to the Guardian.
The newspaper reported that experts are sceptical the co-pilot’s only motivation was to end his own life. A central question for investigators, it said, is the means by which the co-pilot may have been radicalised. Much about the incident, including a definitive account of the motive, has not yet been officially established.
A passenger account has offered a window into the moments beforehand. Tali Manes, an Israeli bank executive, told Israel’s Channel 12 television that at around 9.30am local time on Wednesday she was taking her young daughter to the toilet when she heard a series of heavy blows against the cockpit door.
Manes said she immediately told a flight attendant seated nearby that something was wrong. According to her account relayed by the Guardian, when the attendant did not react, she shouted: “Something is happening in there!”
Seconds later, Manes said, the man “simply went to the [cockpit] door and opened it.” The passenger’s testimony forms part of the broader picture investigators are piecing together as they seek to establish exactly what happened on board.
The debate over motive underscores the difficulty of distinguishing between an individual act and a wider security threat in aviation incidents of this kind.
Why it matters
The incident raises questions about aviation security and how crew members could become radicalised, issues that affect the safety of passengers worldwide. Establishing the motive matters both for the investigation and for how airlines and regulators respond to future threats.
Frequently asked questions
What happened on flydubai flight 1073?
According to the Guardian, there was an attack on the regular flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. A passenger described hearing heavy blows against the cockpit door before the door was opened.
What are experts saying about the motive?
The Guardian reports that experts are sceptical the co-pilot's only motivation was to end his own life, and say a key question is the means of his radicalisation.
What did a passenger witness?
Tali Manes, an Israeli bank executive, told Channel 12 she heard heavy blows against the cockpit door at around 9.30am local time and alerted a flight attendant before the door was opened.