Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that investigations suggest the man who stabbed his fellow pilot and attempted to hijack a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv had undergone "Islamist radical indoctrination".
The Flydubai plane experienced a rapid descent of over 17,000ft (5,200m) approximately two hours into its journey on Wednesday. Passengers and crew managed to overpower the attacker and regain control of the aircraft, landing it safely.
Netanyahu told Fox News that it appeared "very likely" the attacker, identified as an Omani national, "was going to down the plane".
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) state news agency reported that investigations have commenced in the UAE to determine "whether the incident was linked to any terrorist activity or purpose".
Passenger Almog Itali described the experience as feeling like a "rollercoaster" as Flight FZ1073 plummeted 17,000ft in under two minutes.
The co-pilot is currently being questioned in Saudi Arabia, where the plane made an emergency landing. However, UAE officials assert jurisdiction over the incident as the aircraft is registered and flies under the UAE flag.
Netanyahu informed Fox News that after being subdued and tied up by passengers and crew, the attacker was heard calling out to the aircrew, "kill me, kill me," indicating he was suicidal.
"And with all the passengers in there, and if you couple that with what I just told you about the Islamist tendencies, that radicalisation that were found in his background, I think ... 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."
When asked by the same network if there was any indication of Iran's involvement, the prime minister responded, "It's too early to say".
Flydubai passenger describes hugging his children as plane nosedived during attack Who is the 'hero' Indian pilot who was stabbed on Israel-bound flight?
The attacker was apprehended in Saudi Arabia and is expected to be transferred to the UAE, according to Netanyahu.
Both Netanyahu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the stabbed pilot, Indian national Capt Smit Machchhar, as a "hero".
India's ambassador to the UAE, Deepak Mittal, visited Captain Machhar in the hospital on Thursday. The Indian Mission confirmed on social media that he was "in good health and recovering well".
The Indian government commended Smit Machchhar for his "immense courage".
Preliminary findings from a separate Israeli investigation into the incident suggest that the alleged attacker intended to crash the plane, an Israeli security source told BBC Arabic.
The source added that the investigation, led by Israel's intelligence agency Mossad, involved interviewing passengers upon their arrival in Tel Aviv to ascertain the events on board.
Flydubai's flight FZ1073, carrying over 170 people, departed from Dubai International Airport in the UAE at 03:05 GMT (07:05 local time) bound for Ben Gurion Airport.
Two hours later, a 17,000ft drop in altitude was recorded on the flight tracking website Flightradar24, and minutes afterward, the plane signaled an emergency code.
At approximately 05:40, the aircraft, which had briefly entered Jordanian airspace, turned back into Saudi Arabia, where it subsequently began its manual descent, landing safely at Tabuk Airport in the northwest of the country.
Flydubai has since suspended flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv while it conducts its own investigation into the incident.
Israel's Transportation Ministry stated that the suspension is in line with Netanyahu's directive.
Israeli airlines, including El Al, Israir, and Arkia, announced plans to operate rescue flights from Dubai starting Friday to repatriate stranded passengers.
The Transportation Ministry also issued an urgent request to Etihad Airlines to increase the number of flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.
