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The co-pilot of a Flydubai aircraft bound for Israel tried to carry out a “terrorist act” during the flight, the prosecutor general of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said. The incident took place on Wednesday.
A source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters that the co-pilot was Omani national Hammam al-Hammami. A second source briefed on the investigation also confirmed the name. UAE officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his identity.
Co-pilot attacks captain with axe
In a statement carried by the UAE state news agency, Prosecutor General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi said an investigation into flight FZ1073 had found that the co-pilot tried to carry out a terrorist act.
According to al-Shamsi, the co-pilot attacked the captain in the cockpit with an axe kept on board for use in emergencies and tried to take control of the aircraft. Passengers and crew members subdued him. More than 170 people, including passengers and crew, were on board.
The investigation, including an examination of the suspect’s motives, is ongoing. The prosecutor general said findings would be announced after the “necessary procedures” are completed. The UAE is leading the investigation because the airline is owned by the Dubai government.
Aircraft lands in Saudi Arabia
A relief pilot aboard the Flydubai flight took control of the aircraft and landed it at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities detained the co-pilot there. Most of the passengers were Israeli citizens.
Israeli officials had earlier said the co-pilot was an Omani national, but Oman has not commented on the incident. An Israeli government official told Reuters that Israeli investigators would take part in the UAE-led inquiry and examine the incident, the suspect’s motives and his background.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously said pilots from countries such as Oman were not allowed to fly to Israel. It is not known how the co-pilot was assigned to a flight to Tel Aviv.
A Flydubai representative said on Saturday that the incident was under investigation and that the company could not comment further. Chief Executive Officer Ghaith Al Ghaith said in an initial statement on Friday that the aircraft had diverted because of a “security incident” in the cockpit.
According to flight-tracking data from Flightradar24, the aircraft lost about 16,625 feet (5,067 meters) in altitude over Saudi Arabia in just over 30 seconds while flying from the UAE to Israel.
