The Mossad will spearhead the overarching intelligence investigation into the foiled terror attack aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073. At the same time, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) will conduct immediate, individual debriefs of the passengers upon their landing at Ben Gurion Airport. A senior security official familiar with the details stated that the investigation currently focuses on two core questions: what was the true motive of the Omani first officer, and whether he operated as a lone-wolf attacker or as an operative within a broader organizational apparatus.
1+Under international civil aviation conventions, Saudi Arabia is legally designated as the “host state” because the emergency concluded within its sovereign territory. However, investigative and prosecutorial jurisdiction is shared among multiple stakeholders: the United Arab Emirates, where the aircraft is registered, and the countries whose nationals were aboard. In this instance, Israel maintains clear legal primacy, given that the overwhelming majority of the 160 passengers on board are Israeli citizens. Authorities in Jerusalem are insisting on leading the investigative process, and the defense establishment assesses that Saudi authorities will grant Mossad operatives direct access to interrogate the suspect in the near future.
Simultaneously, the domestic defense apparatus is finalizing intake preparations for the arriving travelers. Shin Bet investigators will meet the passengers directly at Ben Gurion Airport to conduct systematic debriefs immediately upon touchdown. Under an operational plan coordinated between the Mossad and the Shin Bet, every passenger will undergo targeted questioning utilizing a pre-prepared forensic questionnaire to reconstruct a comprehensive, minute-by-minute timeline of the struggle inside the cockpit and passenger cabin.
Minute-by-minute timeline of the struggle inside the cockpit and passenger cabin.
1+“All operational investigative avenues are being pursued,” the security official stated. “Was this a lone-wolf actor? Was there premeditated operational planning, or was it a spontaneous decision made during cruise altitude? And does an organized terror group or a foreign state sponsor stand behind the attacker—this remains unclear at present.”
According to the official, intelligence analysts are evaluating two primary possibilities regarding the first officer’s intended endgame: “Did he intend to deliberately crash the aircraft along with all 160 Israeli passengers aboard, or was the operational objective to divert and force-land the airliner in a third country to initiate hostage negotiations?”