DOMINANT ANGLE
Jerusalem is first scrutinizing its own weaknesses: the last link in crew control, supposed to be Israeli, detected nothing, and the press is calling for an investigation rather than a victory lap.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The Emirati attorney general described the attack by the copilot with an emergency axe as an attempted "terrorist act" on Saturday, October 3 (WAM, via Jerusalem Post).
- 02
The tax authority had the complete list of crew and passengers before departure, under a 2023 law; the Transportation Ministry said it did not receive the names of the pilots.
- 03
According to CBS, Flydubai hired the copilot without checking with Oman, which had previously barred him from a pilot position after visiting extremist websites.
ANALYSIS
Jérusalem, October 4, 2026. In Israel, the FZ1073 flight affair is first seen as a screening failure, before being a foiled attack. The Emirati Attorney General, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, stated on Saturday, October 3, according to the WAM agency, that the co-pilot had attempted a "terrorist act": he allegedly attacked the commander with a fire axe and tried to take control. The Jerusalem Post notes that these are the first Emirati comments to use this term; Presidential Advisor Anwar Gargash affirms the "zero tolerance" of the Emirates towards terrorism.
The press details the suspect's profile. According to CNN, relayed by Haaretz, a deleted LinkedIn profile in his name posted, about nine hours after the incident, images of El Al and Arkia planes and Al-Qaida figures. According to CBS, cited by the Jerusalem Post, Oman was monitoring him for visits to extremist sites and had removed him from a pilot position before he joined Flydubai, without checking with the Omani authorities. The Wall Street Journal, quoted by the same newspaper, mentions a drop of 17,400 feet in 92 seconds, at a 39-degree inclination.
The account of Commander Smit Machchhar to Benjamin Netanyahu, on Saturday evening according to Haaretz, occupies a central place: the co-pilot had said he wanted to pray, then hit him from behind. "I knew that if I didn't, I was going to die," the commander said. Netanyahu called him a "hero for Israel, India, and the whole world" and invited him, along with Narendra Modi, to light a flame for Independence Day. Donald Trump praised passenger Yaniv Hayoun on TikTok.
But the debate is about responsibilities. The Tax Authority had the list of crew and passengers before departure, under a 2023 Knesset law; the Mossad has access to it without examining it in general. Tamir Uri, from the Ministry of Transportation, replied: "We are not the Shin Bet," and acknowledged that the names had not been transmitted to his division. The authorities are also examining whether pilots with dual nationality have landed at Ben-Gurion. Haaretz demands "an investigation, not a victory lap." Israel has not yet been able to question the suspect and relies on Saudi and Emirati information; Arutz Sheva indicates that the Emirates are checking if a crew member helped him.
SOURCES (3)
- Jerusalem PostMEDIUM
- Arutz ShevaMEDIUM
- Haaretz EnglishMEDIUM
