The co-pilot of Flydubai flight FZ1073 attempted a terrorist attack, according to the attorney general of the United Arab Emirates, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi. This is the first case in which UAE authorities have described an incident as an attempted terrorist attack.
According to the attorney general of the UAE, the co-pilot attacked the pilot with an axe in the cockpit and attempted to take control of the aircraft. The axe, which is typically found in the cockpit, is used in emergency situations, for example following an aircraft accident. Passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot, averting disaster on Wednesday.
The co-pilot was identified as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national. UAE authorities have not yet responded to requests to confirm his identity. According to Israeli officials, the co-pilot attacked the captain in an apparent attempt to crash the aircraft, which was carrying more than 170 passengers and crew members. A fly-by for Flydubai, which was travelling on that flight, took control of the aircraft and landed at Tabuk airport in north-west Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities detained the co-pilot.
A spokesperson for Flydubai said the circumstances of the incident were still being investigated and that the company was not in a position to comment further on the case at present. A government official told Reuters that Israeli investigators would participate in the investigation led by the UAE. The investigation will examine what happened, the motives of the suspect, and will continue to investigate the circumstances of the incident, the motives, and any associated persons or groups, as well as analysing material and digital evidence.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel was investigating whether the co-pilot had acted on instructions, warning that all those involved in the incident would pay a high price. On Thursday, he said the co-pilot had been subjected to radical Islamist indoctrination and suggested that he had suicidal tendencies, but stressed that the motive was not yet established.
The majority of passengers on the aircraft were Israeli citizens, and the route is popular with Israeli passengers. According to data from the flight tracking service Flightradar24, the aircraft, while flying from the UAE to Israel, dropped by approximately 5,000 metres in just over 30 seconds while it was over Saudi Arabia.
