Saudi Arabia has handed over the Omani co-pilot accused of assaulting the captain of a flydubai flight to the United Arab Emirates, as authorities investigate the cockpit attack and an alleged attempt to crash the Dubai-Tel Aviv-bound aircraft.
The United Arab Emirates has also launched an investigation into the incident. Judicial authorities in the country will look into the circumstances surrounding the confrontation and establish the factors that prompted the aircraft to make an emergency landing. The investigation comes after a violent altercation in the cockpit left Captain Smit Machchhar injured. The aircraft, which was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv with passengers on board, was diverted to Tabuk, where it landed safely following the incident.
Indian Ambassador to the UAE Deepak Mittal visited Captain Smit Machchhar and his family at the hospital, according to the Indian mission. In a social media post, the mission said, “Captain Machchhar is in good health and recovering well.”
The UAE Foreign Ministry said it was closely monitoring the incident and confirmed that the country’s judicial authorities would conduct an investigation into the case. The development followed a preliminary investigation by Saudi authorities into flydubai Flight FZ1073, which was forced to make an emergency landing in the Saudi city of Tabuk on Wednesday.
