The President of the Emirates receives the crew of the Flydubai flight and awards them with the Zayed II Medal

On Tuesday, the President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, received the crew of the “Fly Dubai” flight, which witnessed a hijacking attempt at the end of last September. The Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported that the Emirati President received the plane’s crew, in the presence of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and they praised “the crew’s role and courage.”

We also appreciated "the high responsibility he assumed in preserving the safety and security of passengers, stressing that preserving human security and safety is the highest priority and the highest value for the UAE." Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed awarded the "Zayed II Medal, First Class" to the cabin crew "in appreciation of their courage and their role in maintaining the safety of passengers."

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, awarded the crew with medals, and praised “their role and the level of responsibility they assumed in preserving the safety and security of travelers,” according to WAM. The UAE Attorney General, Counselor Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, announced that investigations into the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv revealed that the plane’s co-pilot, an Omani national, had attempted to “carry out a plan with a terrorist purpose prepared in advance,” aiming to take control of the plane and use it to carry out a suicide operation targeting the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport.

He also explained that "investigations followed the intellectual and professional path of the accused, who is (29) years old, and it was found that signs of his trend toward extremism and terrorism began in 2017, during his studies in Australia. He added that he was "influenced by takfiri ideas through reading extremist literature and following electronic content that glorifies terrorist organizations and suicide operations,” according to a statement published by the Emirati “WAM” news agency.