Disaster was averted on Wednesday after passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot, who had attacked the captain in what Israeli officials said was an apparent attempt to crash the plane carrying more than 170 passengers and crew.
A reserve flydubai pilot travelling on the flight took control of the aircraft and landed it at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where the co-pilot was detained by Saudi authorities.
The captain and co-pilot left Saudi Arabia for Abu Dhabi on Thursday morning after receiving medical clearance, the Saudi Interior Ministry said.
Flydubai said the circumstances surrounding the incident were still under investigation and that it was not in a position to comment further, a spokesperson said.
A source briefed on the investigation told Reuters on Friday that Israeli officials were expected to question the co-pilot in the UAE. The source declined to say which Israeli agency or authority would take part.
An Israeli government official told Reuters that Israeli investigators would take part alongside Emirati authorities in the UAE-led investigation, seeking to determine what happened and examine the suspect’s motives and background.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel was looking into whether the co-pilot had acted under anyone’s direction, warning that anyone involved would pay a “heavy price”.
Netanyahu said on Thursday that the co-pilot had undergone radical extremist indoctrination, without providing details, and appeared suicidal, though he said a motive had not yet been established. Most of the passengers on board were Israeli nationals.
The aircraft dropped about 16,625 feet in just over 30 seconds while flying over Saudi Arabia on its journey from the UAE to Israel, according to flight-tracking data from Flightradar24. The route is popular among Israeli travellers.
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