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WAM said the investigation would assess any link to terrorist activity or intent.
Reuters/File
The United Arab Emirates' chief prosecutor on Thursday said an investigation had been launched into the incident on board a flydubai flight to Israel, including the possibility of "terrorist activity or intent".
The plane was forced to land in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
What happened on the flydubai flight?
Israel alleged on Wednesday that the co-pilot tried to crash the aircraft, but the pilot and passengers intervened and averted the crash. Passengers rushed the cockpit after the plane suddenly plummeted.
Flydubai said all passengers were safe.
What will the UAE investigation examine?
The state news agency WAM said the attorney general had ordered the probe. It added that "the investigation team has launched its work into the incident" that forced the plane to land in Saudi Arabia.
WAM also said the investigation would determine "the degree to which (the incident) was linked to any terrorist activity or intent".
How did the plane lose altitude?
Passengers described rushing the cockpit after the plane suddenly plummeted. According to the Flightradar24 website, it lost around 17,000 feet of altitude in the span of a minute.
Flydubai said all the passengers were safe. Media reports said 166 of the 174 passengers were Israeli.
What did Israel and Netanyahu say about the incident?
Israeli officials called the incident "an attempted terrorist attack". Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US broadcaster Fox News it was "too early" to say who was behind the altercation, and he lauded those who prevented a crash.
"During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot, and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board," Netanyahu said in a video message.
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