Transcript [00:00] malign intent. I think you should be [00:01] given a bit of a pass. [00:02] >> It is 7:37 now. What was on the mind of [00:05] the co-pilot who tried to take control [00:07] of a passenger plane heading to Tel [00:09] Aviv? His flight with the captain led to [00:11] the plane plunging towards the ground. [00:13] If the passengers hadn't overpowered [00:15] him, what may have happened? Many are [00:17] speculating the co-pilot could have been [00:18] trying to fly the plane into a target in [00:20] Israel in a 9/11 style attack. Well, [00:23] let's get the latest from the former [00:24] Israeli government spokesman, Elon Levy. [00:27] Good morning. [00:28] >> Good morning. Wow. how this could have [00:29] been a very different morning. [00:31] >> It really could. I mean, I suppose we [00:32] ought to reflect on that at the [00:34] beginning of this conversation because [00:35] there will be so many families in Israel [00:37] this morning waking up in I mean just [00:40] absolutely thanking their lucky stars. [00:42] >> Absolutely. The whole world should be [00:44] thanking its lucky stars. We came with [00:45] within a hair's breath of a mass [00:47] casualty incident that would have either [00:49] seen a plane with 180 passengers flown [00:52] into a building or some other target or [00:54] exploding over the skies of the Arabian [00:57] desert and scattering body parts all [00:59] over the sand. It really doesn't bear [01:00] thinking about what would have happened [01:02] if that brave Indian pilot hadn't [01:04] managed to open the door just in time [01:06] after he'd been stabbed to let the [01:08] passengers enter the cockpit. And if uh [01:11] one very resourceful Israeli plumber who [01:14] had watched air crash investigation on [01:16] the Discovery Channel hadn't known how [01:18] to pull the plane out of a nose dive. [01:20] >> I mean it really that's that's one of my [01:23] favorite bits of the coverage that I've [01:24] read in the papers this morning. And [01:26] obviously you know the joy that that [01:27] didn't happen is is overwhelming. But we [01:31] do have to get into the serious [01:32] questions and we were talking to our [01:33] correspondent Gabrielle Wineer earlier [01:35] on who was asking the question why an [01:37] Ammani co-pilot was allowed to be flying [01:39] this plane in the first place. Can you [01:41] explain to us what the rules are in in [01:43] this area because as we understand it [01:45] that really should not have happened. [01:47] >> Yeah, that's a very good question and [01:49] raises a question here about whether [01:51] there is a systematic failing of the [01:54] background checks on pilots or whether [01:56] Fly Dubai dropped the ball here. Oman is [01:59] an unfriendly Arab state for Israel. It [02:01] doesn't have diplomatic relations with [02:03] Israel and its pilots are not supposed [02:06] to be flying to Tel Aviv. My colleague [02:08] at Israel's Channel 16 scooped that some [02:11] of his colleagues say that he exhibited [02:13] unusual extreme religious behaviors, [02:16] wouldn't shake hands with women, prayed [02:18] multiple times a day. Obviously, that [02:20] doesn't point to a terrorist uh uh [02:22] intention. Um, but it does strengthen [02:24] the hypothesis that this was indeed an [02:27] attempted jihadist terror attack. This [02:28] will be deeply embarrassing for Fly [02:31] Dubai, which is a private uh owned [02:33] company in the United Arab Emirates, for [02:36] the UAE's reputation as a safe global [02:39] hub. And that's why it's important that [02:41] that investigation is completed quickly [02:43] and that the lessons are learned. So [02:44] that that um problem of the choke point, [02:47] you know, that there are so many layers [02:49] of airport security, but at the end of [02:50] the day, the airline industry doesn't [02:52] have good answers for what happens if [02:53] the pilot himself decides to crash the [02:56] plane. We learn lessons. So something [02:58] like this can never happen again. [03:00] >> Is what is the status at the moment of [03:02] Fly Dubai? Is Fly Dubai still allowed to [03:04] operate flights in and out of Israel? I [03:07] believe that flights have currently been [03:09] suspended for a matter of days as we're [03:11] able to work out what exactly happened. [03:13] But Flight Dubai is a really important [03:15] company for Israel because it was one of [03:16] the only airlines that kept flying [03:18] throughout the war without interruption. [03:21] Other airlines canceled their services [03:22] because of the Iranian missiles and the [03:24] UAE kept that airline [03:28] going. So the fact that that happened to [03:29] an airline that was considered um really [03:32] a lifeline [03:36] Israel's connection to the east and a [03:38] strong symbol of relationship with the [03:40] Abraham Accords is obviously deeply [03:42] deeply concerning. [03:43] >> And just finally, there is some concern [03:45] that as we approach October the 7th, [03:47] there may be a heightened risk of other [03:49] attacks. What is Israel doing at the [03:52] moment to try and prevent anything [03:54] catastrophic from happening? [04:00] >> That's right. October 7th triggered a [04:02] wave of celebration and inspiration [04:04] around the world. And we've seen many [04:05] attacks on Jewish and Israeli targets [04:07] around the world. Some succeeded, many [04:10] prevented. And there is fear that um [04:12] extremists will use the anniversary [04:14] itself of October 7th to stage an [04:16] attack. We know just uh recently that [04:18] there was an a potential attack in [04:20] Austria that was uh foiled. Uh Israelis [04:23] have been given very strict travel [04:25] guidance by the government not to reveal [04:28] their nationality uh publicly. That's a [04:30] very extreme form of travel guidance to [04:33] be very alert of their surroundings to [04:35] avoid certain areas. Um and of course to [04:38] be aware of their surroundings and [04:39] report any suspicious movements. There [04:41] is a fear that October 7th really [04:43] inspired terrorists around the world to [04:46] globalize this war. Let's remember [04:48] airline hijackings themselves were [04:51] pioneered as a modern form of terrorism [04:53] by Palestinian terrorists in the 1970s [04:56] trying to globalize and internationalize [04:58] the conflict. And there is a fear that [05:00] Hamas and other terrorist groups will [05:02] try to carry out attacks particularly in [05:04] Europe, particularly against Jewish and [05:07] Israeli targets to globalize the [05:08] conflict even further. [05:09] >> Elon Levy, former Israeli government [05:11] spokesman, thank you for joining us on [05:13] the program this morning. It's another [05:15] little bit of a puzzle
Eylon Levy says the attempted takeover of a Tel Aviv-bound passenger plane came dangerously close to becoming a mass-casualty attack, raising serious questions about pilot screening and aviation security.
In this urgent interview on Times Radio, former Israeli national spokesman Eylon Levy explains:
Why the incident strengthens the hypothesis that the co-pilot was attempting a jihadist terror attack, while the investigation continues.
How passengers and crew intervened to prevent a potential catastrophe involving the 180 passengers on board.
Why the incident raises a critical security problem for the global airline industry: what happens when the pilot himself becomes the threat?
Why Flydubai’s suspension of flights to Israel is significant, given its role as an important link between Israel and the UAE throughout the war.
Israel’s heightened security concerns ahead of the October 7 anniversary and fears of attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets around the world.
The attempted hijacking highlights vulnerabilities that remain even after layers of airport and aviation security are put in place. Eylon also warns that the October 7 attacks and the wider Israel-Hamas conflict may have inspired terrorist groups to internationalize the conflict through attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets, particularly in Europe.
🎯 “At the end of the day, the airline industry doesn't have good answers for what happens if the pilot himself decides to crash the plane.”
