JERUSALEM, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- 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.
The report follows U.S. 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.
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 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 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. ■
