UAE: Flydubai Co-Pilot Planned to Carry Out 'Terrorist Act'

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The Attorney General of the United Arab Emirates reported on Saturday that investigations into the Flydubai flight incident revealed that the co-pilot had begun to carry out a terrorist act, and that the co-pilot assaulted the captain inside the cockpit using an emergency axe and attempted to take control of the aircraft's controls, according to what was reported by the official news agency "WAM."

In detail, Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, the Attorney General of the UAE, announced that the investigations into the incident of Flydubai flight number (FZ1073) revealed that the co-pilot had begun to carry out a terrorist act.

He explained that the assistant pilot began to execute his plan during the flight, where he attacked the captain inside the cockpit using the (Crash Axe) and attempted to take control of the aircraft's controls.

The Attorney General confirmed that investigations are still ongoing to uncover all the circumstances of the incident, its motives, and the related connections, in addition to completing technical examinations and analyzing material and digital evidence, with the final results to be announced as soon as the necessary procedures are completed.

An informed source told the director of "Al Arabiya" and "Al Hadath" office in Washington that the co-pilot of Flydubai, who carried out an attack during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was influenced by extremist ideas during his previous time in Syria.

The sources added that the co-pilot of Flydubai was banned from flying by Oman due to the Omani authorities' awareness of his extremist ideas.

The sources indicated that the Omani co-pilot is named Hamam Al-Hamami and had left the Sultanate of Oman to avoid being prevented from flying before going to the UAE.

Flydubai flight FZ1073 narrowly escaped disaster on Wednesday after passengers and crew members subdued the co-pilot who stabbed the captain of the plane, while Israeli officials stated it was a clear attempt to bring down the aircraft, which was carrying 174 passengers and crew members.

A reserve pilot from Flydubai who was traveling on the flight landed the aircraft at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where the authorities detained the co-pilot before transferring him to the UAE on Thursday.

The advisor to the President of the UAE, Anwar Gargash, praised Indian pilot Smit Machhar yesterday, Friday, for his response during the plane incident, considering that he embodied, in facing what he described as a "serious terrorist act," the meanings of courage and responsibility and demonstrated professionalism and moral sense in confronting a potential disaster.

Gargash called for caution against hastily simplifying the circumstances of the incident or adopting conspiracy theories about it, while emphasizing the importance of vigilance and precaution in facing the risks of extremism and terrorism.