Saudi government says Omani copilot was transfered to UAE this morning, confirms he attacked pilot

Saudi Arabia says its initial investigation confirms the basic facts of the incident, that the copilot of the flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv assaulted the captain during the flight, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in the Saudi city of Tabuk.

The emergency landing happened after passengers on the flight intervened and stopped the attack. Nearly all of the passengers were Israeli.

The Saudi Interior Ministry says in a statement, in the first comment by the Saudi government on the incident, that the captain and copilot, who were both treated in hospital for injuries, left for Abu Dhabi this morning after receiving medical clearance.

Saudi Arabia says it conducted the preliminary investigation with security teams from the United Arab Emirates.