JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a comprehensive review of security arrangements for foreign civilian flights to Israel, his office said in a statement on Sunday, following last week's attack aboard a Tel Aviv-bound Flydubai aircraft.
Netanyahu instructed National Security Council chief Shmuel Ben-Ezra to appoint an examiner to assess all aspects of aviation security concerning foreign flights to Israel, the office said.
'Attacker acted alone'
A preliminary Israeli investigation found that the co-pilot who attacked the captain of a Tel Aviv-bound Flydubai flight last week acted alone, Israel's Channel 12 reported on Sunday.
Citing sources familiar with the investigation, the channel reported that investigators believe the co-pilot acted as a "lone wolf".
The investigation, launched by Israeli security agencies immediately after the incident, is ongoing.
ALSO READ: UAE: FlyDubai co-pilot used emergency axe to attack captain
The report follows US President Donald Trump's suggestion on Thursday that Iran may have been involved. He offered no evidence and threatened military retaliation if a link was established. "Oh, they'll be hit, very hard, don't worry," he told reporters.
Separately, an investigation by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera said on Sunday that the co-pilot, identified as 29-year-old Omani national Hammam al-Hammami, had planned to kill the captain without alerting authorities and crash the aircraft into skyscrapers in Tel Aviv before Israeli fighter jets could intercept it.
READ MORE: Flydubai flight diverts to Saudi Arabia after reported pilot altercation
Flydubai flight FZ 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in the Saudi city of Tabuk on Wednesday. United Arab Emirates authorities said the co-pilot attacked the captain with an emergency axe during the flight before passengers and crew subdued him.
The injured captain, Smit Machchhar, told Netanyahu on Saturday that he had used his remaining strength to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to intervene. Israeli plumber Yaniv Hayoun helped subdue the attacker, while two other Flydubai pilots aboard the aircraft took control and landed it in Saudi Arabia.
