Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain 'with axe' in cockpit in hijack 'terror' bid, UAE claims
Omani national Hamam al Hammami, 29, reportedly attacked another pilot inside the cockpit of flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv with an axe and attempted to take control of the aircraft.
The co-pilot of the flydubai flight who attacked his fellow pilots in the cockpit has been named and pictured - as he is accused of attempting to carry out a "terrorist" attack by the United Arab Emirates.
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Omani national Hamam al Hammami, 29, reportedly attacked another pilot inside the cockpit of flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv with an axe and attempted to take control of the aircraft, prosecutor general said via the state news agency WAM.
He added that investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances, motives, and any other related connections surrounding the incident.
According to sources, al Hammami had already been banned from flying for Oman's national airline, Oman Air, over concerns that he was adopting extremist views.
However, he was then hired by the UAE-based airline.
One of the two pilots of the Flydubai jet headed to Tel Aviv, Captain Smit Machchhar heroically managed to let passengers into the cockpit to take over the controls despite his wounds.
The Indian national was hailed by Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a "true hero" for helping to foil the attempted hijacking.
Mr Machchhar was badly injured while trying to fend off the attacker.
Yesterday, he told India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he kept fighting after being stabbed multiple times because he could not “let everybody else die".
“In that moment, I was fighting for my life,” Mr Machchhar told the PM in a video call on Friday.
Heroics were employed by pilot Smit Machchhar who managed to open the cockpit door and alert the crew. The Indian national had been stabbed and was reportedly still being attacked when he was able to open the door to let the crew in.
The 182 passengers and crew were able to then subdue the alleged attacker as the plane dropped from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet (10,000 metres to 5,100 metres) in about a minute.
The plane also sent out the emergency call for hijacking, before making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
A Gulf diplomat who spoke under condition of anonymity has said investigations are working to establish whether al Hammami acted as a “lone wolf or has any connection with any extremist groups.”
