Pakistan, Turkey Face Questions Over Silence on Flydubai FZ1073 Cockpit Attack

Pakistan and Turkey are facing scrutiny over their lack of public condemnation of an alleged cockpit attack aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, despite their security commitments to Saudi Arabia, according to a commentary published in The Times of Israel.

The incident involved a Flydubai aircraft travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv that was forced into an emergency after the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain. The aircraft, carrying more than 170 people, reportedly descended sharply before passengers and crew intervened. It eventually landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with the captain injured, according to the commentary.

Italian political adviser, author and geopolitical expert Sergio Restelli argued that the absence of public condemnation from Pakistan and Turkey was particularly notable given their stated security commitments to the Kingdom.

“According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the aircraft plunged almost 14,000 feet in less than thirty seconds before passengers and crew intervened. It eventually landed safely at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia,” Restelli wrote.

He said the incident presented a difficult test for the agreement involving Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, commonly referred to in the commentary as the Mecca pact, which was intended to signal a commitment to regional security cooperation.

Restelli noted that the circumstances surrounding the flight involved several nationalities and politically sensitive connections: the aircraft belonged to an Emirati airline, its destination was Israel, many passengers were Israeli, the captain was Indian and the alleged attacker was Omani. The plane ultimately sought refuge in Saudi Arabia.

He argued that condemning an alleged attempt to endanger a civilian aircraft should not be interpreted as recognising Israel, endorsing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or abandoning support for Palestine.

Instead, he said, such a condemnation would amount to rejecting violence against civilians.

Restelli maintained that the credibility of a security alliance depended on whether its members upheld common principles even when doing so was diplomatically inconvenient.

“Apparently collective security is easy to articulate when the aggressor is politically convenient. FZ1073 presents a much more uncomfortable test,” he wrote.

The commentary also highlighted Saudi Arabia’s religious and political significance, arguing that its position as custodian of Islam’s two holiest mosques gives the Kingdom’s regional partnerships a broader symbolic importance.

Restelli said an alliance bearing the name of Mecca should carry responsibilities beyond conventional defence cooperation, particularly when an incident involves the safety of civilian passengers.

He argued that if the Mecca pact is to develop into a credible regional security framework, its members must apply consistent standards when responding to alleged acts of terrorism, regardless of the nationalities of those involved or the diplomatic sensitivities surrounding an incident.

The criticism centres on the absence of public condemnation attributed to Pakistan and Turkey in the commentary. The supplied report does not include responses from either government, nor does it independently establish the full circumstances of the alleged cockpit attack.