
Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked commander with emergency equipment on flight to Israel
AI-generated summary
The co-pilot was reportedly banned from flying in Oman following signs of ideological radicalization before being hired by Flydubai.
The United Arab Emirates stated this Saturday (3) that the co-pilot of Flydubai flight FZ1073, which was heading to Israel, attacked the commander with an emergency ax and tried to take control of the aircraft.
Until then, it was speculated that he had used a knife. An emergency ax is usually kept in the cockpit for use in situations such as accidents.
The country's attorney general, Hamas Saif Shamsi, classified the episode as an attempted "terrorist attack." The co-pilot was identified as Hammam al-Hammami, a national of Oman, officials with direct knowledge of the case told Reuters.
Emirati authorities have not confirmed the name, and Oman has not commented on the case. Israeli officials had previously said he was Omani. The investigation, which is investigating the suspect's motives, remains ongoing. Flydubai, a company owned by the Dubai government, said it would not comment further.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Thursday (1st) that the co-pilot had undergone Islamic radicalization and was "clearly suicidal". Israel does not maintain official diplomatic relations with Oman, and the prime minister stated that pilots from countries like that were not permitted to operate flights to Israel.
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, the co-pilot had already been banned from flying in Oman after authorities in the country identified possible ideological radicalization. Even after the restriction, the man was hired by FlyDubai and started to operate, among other routes, the flight that connects the United Arab Emirates to Israel. The information was obtained by the newspaper from people familiar with the case.
The episode occurred on Wednesday (30). The commander, Indian Smit Machchhar, reportedly fought with the attacker and managed to open the cabin door, despite being injured, allowing passengers and crew members to overpower the attacker, avoiding a tragedy.
A reserve pilot from the company traveling on the flight took over the controls and landed in Tabuk, in northwest Saudi Arabia, where the co-pilot was detained. On Thursday, he was transferred to Abu Dhabi. According to Flightradar24, the plane lost around 16,625 feet of altitude in just over 30 seconds over Saudi territory.
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