World · Middle East · 14 hrs ago

FlyDubai incident prompts renewed aviation security reviews

FlyDubai incident prompts renewed aviation security reviews

United Arab Emirates investigators have described an incident on FlyDubai flight FZ1073 as an attempted terror attack.

The co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and tried to hijack the plane, which was carrying more than 170 passengers and crew, most of them Israelis.

The flight was heading to Israel, and the captain was identified as Indian pilot Smit Machchhar.

Bryan Stern, a U.S. rescue expert, said the incident shows that Western counterterrorism efforts may be falling behind increasingly sophisticated threats.

His assessment is that security agencies need to study how potential attackers operate.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked for a review of security procedures for foreign civil aviation to Israel, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance said flight security procedures in the United States are also under review.

Australian authorities are investigating the co-pilot’s links to Australia.

Sources

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