National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir will demand at Thursday’s security cabinet meeting that Israel seek the extradition of the flydubai pilot who attempted to hijack a Tel Aviv-bound passenger plane on Wednesday, according to a statement from the minister’s office.
Ben-Gvir, a member of the security cabinet, stated he would call on the Justice Ministry and relevant diplomatic officials to immediately use all available means to secure the suspect’s extradition to Israel, where he would be questioned and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
“Anyone who planned to crash a plane and murder 180 Israelis must be extradited to Israel and pay the heaviest price here,” Ben-Gvir said. “We cannot be satisfied with the fact that the disaster was prevented through abundant divine mercy and thanks to our heroic passengers.”
“Our security doctrine must be clear: Anyone who tries to murder or harm Israelis, the State of Israel will pursue them and settle the score with them anywhere in the world,” he added.
In Israel, the State Attorney’s Office handles extradition requests rather than government ministers.
Ben-Gvir and other ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government have been engaged in an ongoing rift with Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, calling for her dismissal and seeking to have her removed from office.
Ben-Gvir was among several government ministers who responded to the incident on Wednesday by calling for a tougher approach to threats against Israelis. He praised the passengers who intervened and said Israel’s security doctrine needed to be strengthened following the attack.
The incident also prompted an Israeli review of aviation security measures. Transportation Minister Miri Regev called for flydubai flights to Israel to be halted after questions emerged over the Omani pilot’s presence on a route to Israel, while Israeli aviation and security officials examined procedures for responding to suspicious aircraft approaching Israeli airspace.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.