Netanyahu tells Fox & Friends the attacker looks "very likely" to have planned to down the plane, but he does not "make final conclusions yet"
Benjamin NetanyahuPrime Minister of Israel, in an interview on Fox News's Fox & Friends
In an October 1, 2026 interview on Fox & Friends, Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot underwent Islamist radical indoctrination and, after being subdued, called out to the crew "kill me," which he said showed the man was suicidal. He said it looked very likely that the man was going to down the plane with all the passengers on board and that his background gave "a pretty good clue," while adding that he does not make final conclusions yet.
“I know it's not clear, but it looks very likely that he was going to down the plane with all the passengers in there.”
Interview
Where this statement fits
Did a flydubai pilot try to crash Israel-bound flight FZ1073?
On September 30, 2026, flydubai flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv, dropped sharply in altitude en route, transmitted emergency transponder codes and landed at Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. flydubai said an altercation occurred in the flight deck, and the Tabuk airport said both pilots were taken to hospital. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other and "apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board," and Defense Minister Israel Katz called the incident "an attempted jihadist terrorist attack." flydubai said the reasons and motives were unknown and subject to a formal investigation. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority and Saudi Arabia's National Transport Safety Center opened investigations. On October 3, the UAE Attorney-General, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, said investigations had revealed that the co-pilot attempted to carry out a terrorist act, attacking the captain with a crash axe and trying to take control of the aircraft's flight controls, and that motives and any links were still under investigation. As of October 4, 2026, we did not locate a public report that anyone had been charged. The disputed claim is whether a pilot deliberately tried to crash the aircraft.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
Fox News video of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's October 1 interview on Fox & Friends about flydubai flight FZ1073. The quoted passage is our transcription of the audio. One later phrase in the passage is hard to hear and is not quoted.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describes the foiled flydubai hijacking attempt on Fox News's "Fox & Friends," Oct. 1, 2026.
Excerpt from 1:15 to 2:30 of the Fox News video. DI added its logo in the corner.
Video: Fox News. Excerpt used for news reporting and commentary
Watch the full original video (opens in a new tab) (relevant passage: Video, 1:30-2:15 (of 15:18))
Before the quotation
Asked what prompted the attack, Netanyahu said the co-pilot was being interrogated and that "he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination." He said that after passengers subdued him, the man called out to the crew, "kill me. Kill me," and added, "So it's clear he was suicidal. That's not a question. It was clear he was going to down that plane."
After the quotation
He continued that if "you couple that with" the radicalization found in the man's background, "that'll give us a pretty good clue. But again, I don't make final conclusions yet, but that's the indications we have now."
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether a pilot deliberately tried to crash FZ1073. Netanyahu says it was clear and very likely that the attacker was going to down the plane, citing his call to be killed and his reported radicalization, so we labeled it Condemned, the label this case uses for speakers who assert the attempt. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional, because he says he does not make final conclusions yet, but that reservation concerns the final finding rather than his stated present view.
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More from this case
Read the full caseLaura Loomer says the FZ1073 hijacker wanted to crash the plane and asks why Tucker Carlson was in the UAE that day
“the @flydubai plane flown by a Muslim pilot who worked for the Emirati airline was hijacked by the jihadi who wanted to crash the plane full of Israeli passengers as a form of jihad”Read statement
UAE Attorney-General says the FZ1073 co-pilot "attempted to carry out a terrorist act" with a crash axe
“Investigations into the incident aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 revealed that the co-pilot attempted to carry out a terrorist act”Read statement
Netanyahu says the FZ1073 attacker "intended to crash the plane with all its passengers on board"
“The attacker underwent Islamist radicalization. He intended to crash the plane with all its passengers on board.”Read statement
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- Netanyahu tells Fox & Friends the attacker looks "very likely" to have planned to down the plane, but he does not "make final conclusions yet"
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The Dispute Index. "Netanyahu tells Fox & Friends the attacker looks "very likely" to have planned to down the plane, but he does not "make final conclusions yet"". First published: 2026-10-04. Last updated: 2026-10-04. https://disputeindex.com/events/4538-in-an-october-1-2026-interview-on-fox