A veteran airline captain told Sky News Australia that the attack aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 was "probably an act of religious devotion," prompting the host to cut him off and steer the interview back to the technical details of the flight.
Captain Byron Bailey, a former senior captain with Emirates and a former Royal Australian Air Force fighter pilot, appeared on the network's AM Agenda program to discuss Wednesday's incident, in which the Omani co-pilot stabbed the captain and tried to crash the Tel Aviv-bound plane.
Bailey said he was "not really surprised," citing his experience flying in and out of both Tel Aviv and Dubai. He then took issue with commentators questioning the attacker's motive. "I hear them saying, 'Oh, we wonder what the motive is.' Well, excuse me," he said.
Bailey asserted that hatred of Jews is a core tenet of Islam, and criticized a recent Australian royal commission on antisemitism, which he called "a joke," for ignoring that. He said the attacker likely "took the advantage of the fact that he could kill Jews and martyr himself in the process."
The host then interrupted. "Let's just stick to the technical aspect here," she said, redirecting him to how passengers were able to get into the cockpit.
The clip has since circulated widely on social media.
