TEL AVIV (NBC) — Early investigative assessments suggest that the Flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking the captain and trying to take control of a passenger aircraft headed for Israel may have acted on his own, rather than on behalf of a terrorist group or foreign government. The assessment was described by several U.S. officials familiar with the inquiry and a former Israeli security official who spoke with NBC News.

The investigation into Wednesday’s incident is still in its initial phase, U.S. officials cautioned, and no final determination has been made.

“The current assessment is that he acted alone. At this point, it appears to be a lone-wolf case influenced by material encountered online,” said Shalom Ben Hanan, a former official with Israel’s domestic security agency, the Shin Bet.

He said investigators would need to complete their work before determining whether any organization or government had played a role.

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates, which are leading the inquiry, said Saturday that the co-pilot struck the captain with a crash ax and then tried to take control of the plane. Officials characterized the episode as an attempted terrorist attack.

The jet was carrying 174 people, primarily Israeli passengers, from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Eyewitnesses and Israeli officials said a far more serious outcome was avoided when crew members and passengers reached the cockpit and subdued the suspect.

Multiple sources from three agencies briefed on the case, along with a Middle Eastern diplomat, identified the suspect to NBC News as Omani citizen Hamam al-Hammami. Officials have not independently confirmed that identification in public.

UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said Saturday that authorities were examining the incident’s “full circumstances, motives, and any links.”

The preliminary assessment came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that investigators were considering whether the suspect had been instructed by another party.

President Donald Trump likewise raised the possibility of Iranian involvement on Thursday and warned that Washington could take further military action against Tehran if Iran were found responsible. But a senior U.S. official briefed earlier on Israel’s investigation told NBC News that authorities had found no evidence Iran directed or took part in the incident.

Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, recounted the episode Friday while being treated at a hospital in Abu Dhabi. He said he sustained significant injuries and noticed the aircraft beginning to descend before he was able to open the cockpit door. That allowed passengers and crew to enter and restrain the attacker.

“I was acting for my own life, but at the same time, I knew I couldn’t let all of them die,” he said in a video call released by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.