Iran: Flydubai flight incident engineered to blame Iran

Tehran (ANTARA) - The Flydubai flight incident was carelessly engineered to blame Iran or other countries in the region, stated Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on Sunday.

Baghaei stated that based solely on unverifiable statements, Iran is being accused of planning operations that are themselves questionable in occurrence.

“Like the case of Fairford airbase, a base used by the US to launch attacks against Iran. Or the Flydubai flight. I believe even preschool children would understand how carelessly this was designed to create insecurity and blame Iran or other parties,” he said.

On Wednesday, a Flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv sent an emergency signal and performed an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The airline subsequently confirmed that a fight had broken out between pilots during the flight.

Media reports later emerged stating that one pilot had injured the other with a knife and attempted to cause the aircraft to crash.

Several passengers on the flight later told RIA Novosti that a fight occurred in the cockpit, resulting in the co-pilot injuring the captain.

Two other Flydubai pilots who happened to be among the passengers managed to control the situation, after which the aircraft diverted its flight and landed safely at Tabuk Airport, Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, Israeli authorities have described the incident as an attempted terrorist attack. The Office of the Attorney General of the United Arab Emirates, which is investigating the incident, also stated that preliminary findings suggest a suspected terrorist attempt.

The Attorney General’s Office added that the co-pilot attacked the aircraft’s captain using a standard emergency axe and attempted to take control of the plane.