- KSA turns down Israel’s request to send military warplanes.
- UAE prosecutors to investigate motives, possible terrorist link.
- Flight plunged nearly 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds.
Saudi Arabia turned down multiple requests by Israel to send its own planes to retrieve passengers from a diverted flydubai flight, a Saudi source with knowledge of the matter told AFP on Thursday.
“They asked to send military warplanes. Two or three direct to Tabuk airport,” the source said. “Turned down”.
“Then asked to send [El Al] commercial one. Turned down as well.”
The source also said the message was communicated through the UAE and not directly with the Israelis.
The comments come a day after a plane heading to Tel Aviv from Dubai was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, after one of the pilots allegedly tried to crash the plane and kill everyone onboard.
The Saudi source said the kingdom fulfilled its “international obligation” and assisted the passengers of the flight after they made the emergency landing, emphasising that the nationality of the travellers had no impact on their decision.
“We were to act the same way, regardless of the nationalities of flydubai passengers,” the source added.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has resisted pressure to join the US-backed Abraham Accords and establish diplomatic ties with Israel.
Riyadh has maintained that it will not normalise relations with Israel without a clear path to Palestinian statehood.
UAE launches probe into flydubai incident
The United Arab Emirates’ chief prosecutor on Thursday said an investigation had been launched into the incident on board a flydubai flight to Israel, including the possibility of “terrorist activity or intent”.
The state news agency WAM said the attorney general had ordered the probe, adding that “the investigation team has launched its work into the incident” that forced the plane to land in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
It also said the investigation would determine “the degree to which (the incident) was linked to any terrorist activity or intent”.
In a separate statement, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that an investigation had been launched.
It said that the UAE judicial authorities have jurisdiction over the incident under applicable law, as the aircraft is registered and flagged in the UAE.
“Accordingly, UAE law applies to crimes committed on board the aircraft, even when they occur outside UAE territory,” it added.
The UAE also expressed appreciation to Saudi authorities for their cooperation and handling of the incident.
Israel alleged on Wednesday that the co-pilot of the flight had tried to crash the aircraft but that the pilot and passengers intervened and averted the crash.
Passengers described rushing the cockpit after the plane suddenly plummeted, losing around 17,000 feet of altitude in the span of a minute, according to the Flightradar24 website.
Airline flydubai said all of the passengers — of whom 166 out of 174 were Israeli, according to media reports — were safe.
Israeli officials called the incident “an attempted terrorist attack” while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US broadcaster Fox News it was “too early” to say who was behind the altercation and lauded those who prevented a crash.
“During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot, and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board,” Netanyahu said in a video message.
— With additional input from our correspondent in Dubai.
