ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) attorney general said Saturday that a flydubai co-pilot attempted to carry out “a terrorist operation” during a flight to Tel Aviv earlier this week, attacking the captain with a crash axe and attempting to seize control of the aircraft.

“Investigations into the flydubai Flight FZ1073 incident have revealed that the co-pilot attempted to carry out a terrorist operation,” UAE state media cited UAE Attorney General Hamad Said al-Shamsi as saying.

The incident occurred Wednesday when the flight’s co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain and attempted to take control of the aircraft, prompting passengers and crew to intervene. The plane was diverted and made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday pledged to impose a “very heavy price” on whoever was behind the attack. “We are currently investigating whether he was sent by others, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price,” Netanyahu said.

One passenger who rushed to intervene during the attack, 50-year-old Yaniv Hayun, said he had learned how to stabilize a nosediving plane from a TV show. He made the remarks during a meeting with Netanyahu, in a video distributed by the Israeli premier’s office.

According to Flightradar24, the plane lost around 17,000 feet of altitude in the span of a minute.

Shamsi said the investigation remains ongoing to establish the circumstances, motives and connections related to the incident, as well as to complete technical examinations and review physical and digital evidence. Final results will be announced once “all necessary procedures are completed.”

The UAE on Thursday announced that it had launched an investigation into the incident, probing a possible “terrorist” link to the attack.

Operator flydubai said all 174 passengers, including 166 Israelis, were safe.

US President Donald Trump said it “seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack-job” after discussing the incident with Netanyahu.