Omani co-pilot of Flydubai flight to be handed to UAE after preliminary probe in Saudi Arabia
Because the aircraft is registered there and its laws apply to crimes committed on board, the UAE has jurisdiction.
The Emirati government said its team was examining the attack and “whether it was linked to any terrorist purpose”. A regional official said several possibilities remained under investigation, including terrorism and mental disorders. Nothing is ruled out for now,” the official said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the initial investigation suggested the co-pilot had undergone Islamist indoctrination and may have been trying to crash the aircraft. So, it is clear that he was suicidal and was going to down the plane,” he said. An Israeli official separately told The Times of Israel that social media material attributed to the co-pilot included posts about killing Jewish people. The official said the material indicated that he had been radicalised into jihadist ideology, while stressing that the formal investigation was still under way. “Our understanding is he’s going to be transferred to the UAE,” the official said. US President Donald Trump also raised the possibility of an Iranian connection, although he did not provide evidence and said the investigation was still under way. Asked whether he had been briefed about links between the co-pilot and Tehran, Trump said, “We’re working on it right now.”
The UAE has now taken over the investigation, with Israeli authorities also involved. “All possible scenarios, from terrorism to mental disorders, are being looked into. “They had to use earphone cords to tie his hands and then used plastic cuffs. He is lying on the floor and he calls out to the crew ‘kill me, kill me’. “We will be part of that investigation.