Flydubai co-pilot who 'attacked pilot with axe in suspected terrorist attack' pictured
UAE prosecutors said the co-pilot attacked the captain with a crash axe and tried to seize control of the flight, injuring 1 pilot.
- On Wednesday, Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv experienced an in-flight security breach when the co-pilot attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with a cockpit crash axe, causing the aircraft to plunge roughly 16,000 feet over Saudi Arabia.
- The suspect, identified as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, had been barred from flying in Oman over extremist concerns before relocating to Dubai, where Flydubai hired him without formal background vetting through the Omani government.
- Despite severe injuries, Machchhar told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi: "I was acting for my own life, but at the same time, I knew I couldn't let all of them die." Passengers and crew subdued the attacker; reserve pilots landed safely at Tabuk with all 180 occupants.
- United Arab Emirates Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi announced Saturday that investigations found the co-pilot "attempted to carry out a terrorist attack," while UAE senior diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash called it a "dangerous terrorist act" Friday.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Friday that anyone directing the attack would pay a "heavy price," claiming the co-pilot underwent "Islamist radicalization" without providing evidence; security agencies from multiple countries are investigating whether al-Hammami acted alone or had extremist affiliations.
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455 Articles
FlyDubai copilot wielded cockpit's emergency ax in 'terrorist act,' officials say
The United Arab Emirates says the copilot on a FlyDubai flight that nearly crashed with 182 people on board attacked the captain with the cockpit’s crash ax in a 'terrorist attack.'
Sydney Morning Herald
Flydubai co-pilot allegedly wielded axe in attempted terrorist attack
The use of the crash axe dispels concerns that the suspect carried a knife onto the aircraft, but sets off a debate about future safeguards against rogue pilots.
Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain with crash axe in hijacking
The Flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking the captain of a Tel Aviv-bound flight earlier this week allegedly used the cockpit’s “crash axe” in the assault and has been identified as a 29-year-old Omani national. The co-pilot attempted to “take control of the aircraft” and carry out a “terrorist act,” UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al […]
The investigation into the attack on a flight from Flydubai to Israel describes the co-pilot's attack on the commander as a "terrorist act".
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