THE co-pilot on a FlyDubai flight that nearly crashed last week attacked the captain with the cockpit’s crash axe in a “terrorist” incident, according to United Arab Emirates officials.
The UAE statement cited the attorney general as saying the co-pilot also tried to take control of the plane during Wednesday’s attack on the Israel-bound flight with 182 people on board.
Passengers and crew intervened to subdue the co-pilot and stabilise the plane.
Earlier, the co-pilot was named by sources as Omani national named Hamam al-Hammami.
One Gulf diplomat said investigations are under way to establish whether al-Hammami acted as a “lone wolf or has any connection with any extremist groups”.
The co-pilot was barred from flying by Oman over concerns he had adopted extremist views, a person familiar with the matter said.
The co-pilot was then hired by the United Arab Emirates-based airline FlyDubai, the source added.
It was not immediately clear to what extent he was vetted when he was hired. Oman’s barring of him was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
How the co-pilot managed to be working in the cockpit on Wednesday morning is a central question for investigators.
Israel says has it has long-standing agreements with foreign carriers to keep pilots from flying into the country if they are citizens of nations that do not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.
Israel and Oman do not have formal diplomatic relations.
There was no immediate comment from FlyDubai, the UAE government or Oman Air. Oman’s government has said nothing publicly in response to repeated questions since the incident.
On Friday, UAE senior diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash called the attack a “dangerous terrorist act” in a post on Twitter/X.
The incident is a test for the UAE government, which has earned a reputation for effective measures against extremist activities but has also bristled in the past over criticism of security lapses.
Little else was immediately known about the co-pilot’s background. His Instagram account was active until the day of the flight and then deleted.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot had undergone “Islamist radicalisation”, but provided no evidence.
The captain, who was badly injured, has said he used his remaining energy while being stabbed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing people who had noticed alarmingly unusual sounds to come in, tackle the co-pilot and stabilise the plane.
It then made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Both the captain and co-pilot were later taken to the UAE as it leads the investigation. Officials have said a number of countries including Israel are participating.
