Flydubai co-pilot attacked pilot with axe, attempted 'terrorist attack', UAE says

DUBAI: The co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073, which was bound for Israel, attempted to carry out a "terrorist attack" during the flight, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general said on Saturday (Oct 3), according to the state news agency WAM.

The co-pilot was identified as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. A second source briefed on the investigation confirmed the co-pilot’s name. UAE authorities did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation of his identity.

While Emirati authorities have not publicly identified the co-pilot, Israeli officials have previously said he is an Omani national. Oman has not commented on the incident.

"Investigations into the incident involving flydubai flight FZ1073 found that the co-pilot had attempted to carry out a terrorist attack," WAM quoted UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi as saying.

The co-pilot attacked the pilot inside the cockpit with a crash axe and attempted to take control of the aircraft, the prosecutor general said.

A crash axe is typically kept in the cockpit for use during emergencies such as crashes.

Investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances of the incident, the motives and any related connections, as well as to examine physical and digital evidence, he added. The UAE is leading the investigation. The airline is owned by Dubai's government.

The UAE prosecutor general's comments were the first by Emirati authorities to describe the incident as an attempted terrorist attack.

Disaster was averted on Wednesday after passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot, who had attacked the captain in what Israeli officials said was an apparent attempt to crash the plane carrying more than 170 passengers and crew.

A reserve flydubai pilot travelling on the flight took control of the aircraft and landed it at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where the co-pilot was detained by Saudi authorities.

The captain and co-pilot left Saudi Arabia for Abu Dhabi on Thursday morning after receiving medical clearance, the Saudi Interior Ministry said.

Flydubai said the circumstances surrounding the incident were still under investigation and that it was not in a position to comment further, a spokesperson said.

A source briefed on the investigation told Reuters on Friday that Israeli officials were expected to question the co-pilot in the UAE. The source declined to say which Israeli agency or authority would take part.

An Israeli government official told Reuters that Israeli investigators would take part alongside Emirati authorities in the UAE-led investigation, seeking to determine what happened and examine the suspect's motives and background.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel was looking into whether the co-pilot had acted under anyone's direction, warning that anyone involved would pay a "heavy price".

Netanyahu said on Thursday that the co-pilot had undergone radical extremist indoctrination, without providing details, and appeared suicidal, though he said a motive had not yet been established. Most of the passengers on board were Israeli nationals.

The aircraft dropped about 16,625 feet in just over 30 seconds while flying over Saudi Arabia on its journey from the UAE to Israel, according to flight-tracking data from Flightradar24. The route is popular among Israeli travellers.