UAE says Flydubai copilot used crash axe in attempted terrorist act

The Washington Post, the BBC, and CNBC reported that the co-pilot of a Flydubai flight attempted to commit a terrorist act by attacking the captain inside the cockpit with an emergency crash axe. According to France 24 and the Guardian, the incident occurred on September 30 aboard flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. [1][2][3][4][7]

The BBC reported that the aircraft was carrying more than 170 people when it plunged 17,000 feet two and a half hours into the flight. According to the BBC, passengers managed to overpower the attacker and regain control of the aircraft. The BBC noted that media outlets identified the co-pilot as Hamam al-Hammami, and that the Indian government praised Captain Smit Machchhar for his courage after he was injured during the attack. [2]

According to the Guardian and the Washington Post, the suspect was an Omani citizen who had previously been barred from flying by Oman due to concerns about his extremist views. The Irish Independent reported that terrorist images were found on the suspect's social media accounts. RTE reported that United Arab Emirates investigators have not officially disclosed a motive for the attack. [1][4][5][6][7]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, authorities in the United Arab Emirates launched a formal investigation into the attempted attack. The United Arab Emirates prosecutor general confirmed that the suspect attempted to take control of the aircraft before he was stopped, according to CNBC and the BBC. [2][3][11]