UAE investigators confirm Flydubai co-pilot attempted to 'commit terrorism'

The United Arab Emirates' attorney general on Saturday formally classified the midair incident aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 as a terrorist act, confirming the co-pilot attempted to commit terrorism during the Wednesday flight diversion to Saudi Arabia.

Investigations revealed that the co-pilot attacked the captain on the flight deck using a crash ax and attempted to take control of the Israel-bound aircraft, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said. A crash ax is typically kept in a plane cockpit for use during emergencies.

Authorities are still investigating to determine the full circumstances, motives and potential external links of the incident, he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Friday that the co-pilot had been radicalized and "came to crash the plane with all passengers on board".

The Boeing 737 aircraft, carrying 174 passengers and crew, was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv before the emergency forced a diversion. All passengers were later transferred to a replacement Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv. The carrier has since suspended all flights to and from Israel.

Following the suspension, the first five rescue flights repatriating stranded Israeli citizens from Dubai landed at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport on Saturday, according to the Israel Airports Authority.