Katz: Flydubai Cockpit Incident Was Attempted Jihadist Attack

Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that the incident aboard the Flydubai flight was an attempted jihadist terror attack thwarted by Israeli passengers, news website Srugim reported. Katz stated that according to initial information, the Omani first officer intended to crash the aircraft with all passengers aboard, adding that the public should heed intelligence-based warnings issued by the defense establishment.

However, according to a report by ynet, officials close to the Defense Ministry clarified that Israel possessed no concrete advance intelligence regarding the pilot's intentions prior to takeoff. Further details regarding the ongoing investigation into the incident in Saudi Arabia have not yet been released.